How to check protein quality: rapid authenticity test

Success in the gym doesn't always depend on your workout routine or nutrition. If your diet contains a fair share of sports nutrition, its quality directly affects the growth of muscle mass. And if, under the guise of protein, you mix flour or starch with milk, then it will also increase the rate of fat gain. So if you have even the slightest doubt that you haven’t come across a linden disguised as a protein powder, you should remember a couple of facts from chemistry and test the powder. So, how to check protein quality using available tools?

Attention! The methods below will not give you a 100% guarantee of the authenticity of the protein, but they will help answer at least some of the questions about its composition and quality.

Boiling water test

The easiest way to check the authenticity of a protein is to boil it. To do this, pour water into a saucepan, bring to a boil and add the protein. Continue cooking for 2-5 minutes. After this, strain the mixture through a sieve.

• If during cooking the protein begins to coagulate like cottage cheese - bingo, you have a high-quality mixture. But don’t rush to draw conclusions, but check it after pumping: it should taste like cottage cheese or egg white, and be white in consistency and not stick to your hands.
• If the mixture turns out to be very sticky and translucent , you have starch. It has nothing to do with protein and will help you gain more fat instead of muscle.
• Did the mixture turn out white and sticky , but does it look like rice porridge? It will make excellent whites, since in this case you are dealing with flour.
• If the mixture dissolves in water and after decanting there is nothing left , you have a protein without protein. We can only guess what was in the package instead, but it’s better not to take risks and take such a mixture.

The essence of the experiment is explained simply: under the influence of temperature, the process of protein denaturation occurs due to a change in the configuration of protein molecules. This process can be clearly seen not only by pouring protein powder with milk, but also, for example, when frying scrambled eggs. However, denatured protein can easily be confused with clumped flour or starch. That is why we recommend checking the resulting mixture according to a number of parameters.

Unfortunately, this test method does not work for protein hydrolyzate and casein. The first one has already been subjected to heat treatment and curled before entering the package, but casein does not tend to curl when boiled.

Results of protein quality testing by independent laboratory ConsumerLab.com

Protein blends that did NOT pass the quality test (April 20, 2016):

Prolab Advanced Essential Whey Milk Chocolate (test date April 20, 2016)

Contains only 31.9% of the protein stated on the package, which is 7.3 grams per scoop (instead of the promised 23 grams). Plus, there are 16 grams more carbs per scoop, including 3.4 extra grams of sugar.

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Dymatize Nutrition Elite Casein Smooth Vanilla (tested April 20, 2016)

The packaging claims to be completely cholesterol free, but in reality it is 10.2 grams per scoop. It also claims to be sugar-free; sugar is actually found in small amounts (1.2 mg per scoop).

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Egg Rich Chocolate (test date April 20, 2016)

The amount of cholesterol is almost three times higher than what is stated on the label: 5 mg of cholesterol per scoop is stated, but in reality it is 14.2 mg.

Nature's Plus Spiru-Tein Vanilla (tested April 20, 2016)

The sugar content is exceeded by more than 4.2 grams, 8 grams are indicated on the package.

Also total carbohydrates exceeded by more than 6.7 grams.

Instead of the 99 calories stated on the label, the calorie content per serving is 125 calories. The results have not changed since the last time this supplement was tested several years ago.

Shakeology Greenberrywas (test date April 20, 2016)

Contaminated with 12.7 mcg of lead per scoop (40 g). The source of contamination is difficult to determine because the product has a large number of ingredients.

Although lead in such quantities may not in itself be harmful to the health of an adult, it can accumulate in the body and should therefore be avoided in excess.

This protein should not be consumed by children, as lead poisoning occurs at 6 mcg per day (combined from all food sources), and by pregnant women.

In the United States, some state laws require a warning to be placed on the label if a product contains more than 1 mcg of lead in a daily serving.

In fact, some adults can handle up to 70 mcg of lead daily, but it is still best to avoid ingesting such amounts.

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey – Double Rich Chocolate (test date June 10, 2016)

Contains 36.5 mg of cholesterol in one scoop instead of the stated 6.5 mg, an increase of 21.6%, i.e. more than 30 mg.

Jay Robb® Egg White Protein (tested June 10, 2016)

Claimed to be cholesterol-free, it actually contains 16.5 mg per scoop.

Naturade Pea Protein - Vanilla (test date June 10, 2016)

Contains 451.4 mg sodium per scoop - 181.4 mg stated, 67.2% excess or more than 270 mg.

Hammer Nutrition Hammer Vegan Chocolate (tested June 10, 2016)

Contains 210.1 mg sodium per scoop - 140 mg stated, 50.1% over or 70.1 mg.

In addition, cadmium contamination was detected : 4.7 mcg per scoop.

Although this amount is unlikely to cause harm to health for most adults, cadmium is a kidney toxin, a probable carcinogen, and can cause softening of bone tissue, lead to infertility, and damage the testes.

The amount detected exceeds the daily limit for a person weighing less than 70 kg (according to Canadian and California standards), which requires a warning on the packaging about potential toxicity and effects on reproduction.

The likely source of cadmium is cocoa powder , listed as an ingredient. Based on the results of testing cocoa powders from various manufacturers, an independent laboratory confirmed the high content of this metal in high concentrations.

Thus, in 31.6 grams of the protein studied, the cadmium content was close to that found in 5 grams of cocoa used to prepare one serving of hot chocolate.

Other independent laboratory studies confirm that heavy metal contamination is concentrated in products that contain plant ingredients .

We recommend : Soy: harm and benefit. Scientific facts

Results of protein quality analysis by ConsumerLab (April 20, 2016):

Date of laboratory analysis 10/06/2016:

Iodine test

Often cottage cheese purchased at the market is tested with iodine, since it reacts well with starch and helps to identify its impurities in fermented milk products. This technique also works successfully with protein.

How to test protein quality using iodine? Elementary. Take a transparent glass, pour water at room temperature into it, add 6-7 drops of iodine or Lugol's solution. Add some protein powder and stir.

• If the color turns black , there is a lot of starch or flour in the mixture - from a third to a hundred percent. Whether there is a place for protein among these powders is a big question.
• The color has turned blue - there is starch in the mixture, but it is much less than in the first case. About 10-30%.
• The color has become creamy - the protein is free of flour or starch impurities. True, here you need to make allowances for the dyes of the protein itself. For example, if it is initially pink, then ideally the solution should turn out to be a dirty pink shade.

Testing with heat

What happens if you don't wash your shaker after drinking a protein shake? In the morning it will smell no better than the vacuum cleaner's workplace. Put your sense of smell on alert - this is our next test on how to check the authenticity of a protein.

Unlike flour or starch, protein decomposes quickly. Criminologists and pathologists know this best. You can borrow their experience to check protein quality. Well, so that the rotting process takes place many times faster, we will leave the cocktail in open sunlight. Within a few hours it will make itself known with a powerful accord of putrid amber.

• If after 3-4 hours you recognize the same smell of an unwashed shaker and a putrid aroma , most likely you are dealing with protein.
• If the smell is sour , there is a large amount of flour in the mixture. An iodine test will help confirm this assumption.
• Does the mixture ? It probably contains a fair amount of starch or any other substance that has little relation to protein.

Presence of harmful and prohibited substances

One of the articles published in the Journal of Nutrition and devoted to the topic of quality of special sports protein mixtures [6], among other quality problems, lists:

• lack of some active ingredients listed on the label;
• adding undesirable or harmful substances without indicating information about their presence on the packaging;
• violation of production technology.

The article provides data from laboratory tests, in which 31% of the selected sports proteins from various brands did not pass the quality test and even contained toxic substances that could cause harm to health. For example, two products were contaminated with lead, a common occurrence for herbal-based products.

Laboratory tests often reveal the presence of prohibited and toxic substances in proteins.

Important! There is only one way to avoid the risks associated with consuming low-quality proteins: purchase and use only those products whose quality has been tested in an independent laboratory.

Tooth check

For this test, all you need is teeth. Even one will be enough. Take some of the mixture and taste it on your teeth.

• If the mixture sticks to your teeth , either protein or flour is present in the mixture.
• Does the mixture not want to stick to your teeth or gums? There is most likely no protein in it, but instead it contains a significant proportion of starch. An iodine test or boiling can confirm your guesses.

Melamine contamination

Several years ago, one of the common quality problems with sport-specific proteins was melamine contamination.

Melamine was illegally used by some manufacturers instead of protein in the production of sports proteins, since, on the one hand, it was cheaper, and on the other hand, when testing the quality of proteins using various scientific methods assessing the nitrogen content, it made it possible to present the final product as “quality” due to its high nitrogen content.

As a result, in 2007 and 2008, numerous cases of kidney stones, kidney failure, and even deaths were reported due to the use of melamine instead of protein in pet food, milk, and infant formula. Previously, a common protein quality problem was protein contamination with melamine, which has been linked to the formation of kidney stones. However, multiple studies of specialty protein supplements conducted by an independent laboratory in 2010 found no melamine present in any product. In subsequent years, not a single case of melamine contamination was identified. Currently, testing for the presence of this substance is not carried out at all.

How to check protein authenticity in other ways

• Check the label: it should be glued perfectly evenly , and its edges should fit snugly to the jar.
• A number of manufacturers seal the protein : the neck of the jar is sealed with paper or a special film. If you know that your brand packages its protein this way, but there is no protection, this is a reason for suspicion.
• Find an example of a label and packaging via Google Images. The type of label must be identical to what the manufacturer usually uses.
• The contents of the package must be homogeneous without lumps.
• The packaging itself must be in perfect condition : no cracks, scuffs or low-quality plastic.

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What to do if you get a non-original protein

It is necessary to stop taking a low-quality product. If possible, try to return it to the sellers. If not, then remember for the future how to check the authenticity of sports products. Unfortunately, the problem of counterfeit supplements is so widespread that even many popular stores are not immune to it. It is recommended to purchase products from trusted, professional manufacturers (and suppliers) with the shortest possible supply chain.

The AtletMarket sports nutrition store is ready to offer customers original products from trusted brands at good prices with delivery throughout Ukraine. The assortment includes various types of protein from the manufacturer’s plant, including whey.

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