All forms of protein are not created equally. Whey protein is one of the two proteins derived from cow's milk, the other is casein protein. Whey protein is a simple protein and is easily digested and used to repair muscle mass, injured tissues and energy. The types of whey protein powder vary by how the protein was obtained; protein powders range from barely processed bulk proteins all the way down to ultra-filtration for a pure product.
Concentrate
Perhaps the most basic of whey protein powders, whey concentrate is just that. During the cheese-making process, curds are removed, dried and concentrated protein is derived. Concentrated whey must contain at least 25 percent proteins, meaning the remainder of the ingredients include a large portion of lactose, or sugar, and fat from the milk. The Whey Protein Institute warns that many whey concentrate powders only include between 29 percent and 89 percent of protein, varying by manufacturer. Some brands offer concentrate as well as other types of whey; read the label to see which type of protein is offered. Some concentrate brands include EAS, Fitness Labs and Cytosport.
Isolate
After the whey proteins are concentrated, another step can be performed to obtain the whey protein isolates. Isolate is marketed as a more pure version of whey that excludes a majority of the fat and lactose found in concentrate. Whey protein isolate must contain at least 90 percent proteins. Less extraneous ingredients, such as fat, speed up the digestion of isolates and put these whey proteins to almost immediate use curing and building injured muscle mass. Manufacturers of whey protein isolate powders include Now, Optimum and Dymatize.
Hydrolyzed
The most refined whey protein powder is labeled hydrolyzed Whey protein powders, whether concentrate or isolate, are broken down into small chains of protein building blocks called amino acids. Hydrolyzed whey proteins are put through yet another refining process to artificially begin the digestion process, breaking the chains of amino acids down into protein particles called peptides. Peptides are easily digested and absorbed for use. So easy to digest, the hydrolyzed proteins are the very same found in infant formulas and medical grade proteins. Hydrolyzed whey protein can be found outside of the baby section, however, as the manufacturers AST Sports Science, Bio Nutritional Sports Group and Evolution Nutrition Systems all offer hydrolyzed protein powders.
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