In recent years, the use of dietary supplements has increased dramatically. Accomplices are the frenetic and increasingly selective lifestyles, which do not allow you to take all the elements necessary for a complete diet, but also an increasing quality of products, which attracts more and more athletes, seniors and future mothers. This, for many companies, was the beginning of a business that still continues today and marks positive points: the nutraceutical market.
A large customer base is looking for food supplements containing proteins, which can be found in isolated or hydrolyzed form. To direct the customer towards one type of product, rather than another, correct information is important, i.e. explaining the content of the product and the advantages of one over the other.

What is the difference between protein isolate and protein hydrolysate?

We would like to point out that focusing on isolated or hydrolysed proteins depends on the company’s objective and the technologies available.
Isolated proteins are produced using purification techniques and, once isolated, do not undergo any further modifications. The time of absorption by the body changes depending on the source of the protein, it can vary between 40 minutes and an hour.
Hydrolysed proteins, on the other hand, undergo a further process of hydrolysis, usually by enzymes, which allows the macromolecules to be broken down into shorter peptides. If on the one hand the cost of the product increases, on the other hand the great advantage is that the assimilation time of the product is reduced. Hydrolysed proteins, in fact, can be assimilated in just over ten minutes. In addition, there is various experimental evidence that hydrolysates facilitate post-workout recovery and maximize muscle anabolism.
There are several companies that have decided to put both types into production, thus covering a large portion of the market.

Why is it important to rely on an innovative laboratory?

Since this is a very competitive and fast growing market, given the constant demand from consumers, it is necessary to entrust the development and research of these products to a laboratory that is truly innovative and competent, such as Bict, which offers solutions and standardized processes of chemical and biotechnological nature directly applicable to the desired type of production (supplements, protein isolates, hydrolysates, for example) thanks to an experienced and creative team and an automated system that reduces both development time and human error.

Sources:

  • Manninen AH. Protein hydrolysates in sports nutrition. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2009;6:38. Published 2009 Sep 28. doi:10.1186/1743-7075-6-38.
  • Luc JC van Loon, Wim HM Saris, Margriet Kruijshoop, Anton JM Wagenmakers, Maximizing postexercise muscle glycogen synthesis: carbohydrate supplementation and the application of amino acid or protein hydrolysate mixtures, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 72, Issue 1, July 2000, Pages 106-111, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/72.1.106.