History of Protein Powder

What is Protein Powder? Do you really need it? Where does this come from? One of the most heavily-marketed nutritional supplements is protein powder. Used everywhere from smoothies to nutrition bars and high-protein cereals. Personal trainers also include protein powder as part of a clients workout plan for best results.

Whey is the by-product of the cheese-making process. In milk, the 2 primary proteins are whey and casein. Whey is about 20% of milk proteins, and casein comprises the rest with 80%. When drinking milk, you consume both casein and whey proteins.




This by-product was considered useless at first. The dairy industry had so much excess whey, they often had trouble disposing of it all. Little did the farmers know how valuable this by-product was. This is how whey protein was stumbled upon.

Turns out, whey is rich with 3 milk proteins...

- Beta-Lactoglobulin (65%)
- Alpha-Lactabumin (25%)
- Serum Albumin (8%)

These are easily digestible by the body, more so than any other protein, including eggs. The problem with the by-product was that it had no flavor and was very messy. This caused a problem with it becoming popular.

Then, the business figured out a way to "dry" the protein and turn it into a powder, which is how it’s known today. The result was whey powder could be mixed into a liquid, while still preserving its protein quality and without the messy and bland taste.



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