What Makes a High-Quality Whey Protein Concentrate?
What is Whey Protein Concentrate?
Whey Protein Concentrate is the concentrated, powdered form of whey protein. Whey protein comes about from the yoghurt and cheese-making process where the high-protein whey is separated from the whole milk product. Whey powder is most commonly made from whey leftover from the cheese-making process – approximately 10 litres of whey is produced in association with 1kg of cheese.
And if you’re wondering what whey looks like, you’ve probably seen it on top of a tub of yoghurt. If you’ve ever noticed that watery liquid sitting on top of your yoghurt, that’s whey. Stir it back into your yoghurt for a natural protein boost.
Liquid whey has about one per cent protein content in it. To refine it into the high-protein boost which makes up Whey Protein Concentrate, liquid whey is refined, processed and dried to form the powder more recognisable as the base to your protein shake. Finally, flavours and sometimes colours and fillers are added to make it more palatable and easily mixed with water. This is where it starts to become clear that not every Whey Protein Concentrate on the market is created equally, and it’s where you can start to find the factors that make up a high-quality Whey Protein Concentrate.
Why do you need Whey Protein Concentrate?
As with all supplements, no one needs Whey Protein Concentrate if they’re getting enough protein through the foods they’re eating. However, Whey Protein Concentrate can be an easy and convenient way to get a protein boost after a workout, to help you make a healthier choice when you’re hungry or craving something sweet or to make sure you’re hitting your protein macronutrients when you’re working, travelling or finding it difficult to eat enough protein day-to-day. We see Whey Protein Concentrate as a boost to support your healthy food choices.
What are the advantages of choosing Whey Protein Concentrate?
There are so many benefits of Whey Protein Concentrate, including that it is...
- Economical – Whey Protein Concentrate from Bulk Nutrients starts from just $39 for a kilogram of powder or you can request a free sample for a no-risk taste test.
- Readily available – our Whey Protein Concentrate is sourced from dairy cows in Australia, New Zealand and the United States so we have a constant supply of high-quality raw ingredients.
- Contains all the amino acids you need for recovery – whey protein naturally contains all the amino acids the body needs, including Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) which support your recovery after a weights-based workout.
- More nutritionally complete – because Whey Protein Concentrate has not been as highly refined as Whey Protein Isolate, WPC has a more complete nutritional profile with naturally occurring fats and carbohydrates. There’s no need to add anything extra to your shake.
- Easily absorbed by the body – scientific studies have shown that whey protein is more easily absorbed by the body than plant-based proteins, so it means you’re getting maximum protein assimilation.
- Appealing in taste and texture – Whey Protein Concentrate mixes easily with water for a smooth and satisfying shake. Meanwhile, Bulk Nutrients takes care to source our Whey Protein Concentrate from the same type of cheese production in each batch, so there is a consistent flavour profile and no “cheesy” overtones in the flavour.
- Convenient – the powder is stable, doesn’t need refrigeration, and mixes easily with water as soon as you’re ready to consume it.
To sum up, Whey Protein Concentrate is one of the best all-round protein powders to fulfil your protein needs, amino acid requirements, tastes great, is easy on your bank balance and it’s ready to consume in seconds – you literally just add water.
Ten health benefits of Whey Protein Concentrate
We’ve already discussed that Whey Protein is a complete source of protein with all of the amino acids your body needs, including Branched Chain Amino Acids. And most people are using Whey Protein Concentrate to support lean muscle growth and reduce fat, boosting the metabolism in the process.
But according to the Mayo Clinic, the Cleveland Clinic and Healthline, Whey Protein can also provide a wide range of health benefits, including:
- Boost in energy and mood.
- Reduction in stress levels.
- Help satisfy hunger cravings – whey protein increases the body’s release of leptin, the hormone that sates your appetite.
- Promote wound healing, with whey protein being proven to benefit people with chronic wounds and those recovering from burns.
- Reduction in blood pressure.
- May help treat Type 2 Diabetes by moderating blood sugar.
- Reduction in inflammation in the body.
- It may be beneficial for inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis.
- Supportive of the body’s antioxidant defences.
- May be beneficial in promoting healthy blood fats.
What makes a high-quality WPC?
Look for a Whey Protein Concentrate that has a high protein content – generally 70 per cent to 80 per cent protein.
Choose a Whey Protein Concentrate with natural sweeteners like Stevia or a safe artificial sweetener like sucralose that only needs to be included in a very small amount– anything with added sugars as one of the first ingredients will be undoing a lot of your hard work. You can expect Whey Protein Concentrate from Bulk Nutrients to have a protein content percentage from the mid-70s to the mid-80s.
The Cleveland Clinic says diabetics especially should be wary of any supplements that have added sugars, fillers or dextrins or maltodextrins (sugars made from starch). These are often added to “stretch” the protein powder and add a more palatable taste.
Finally, choose a reputable supplier for your Whey Protein Concentrate. At Bulk Nutrients, we source our whey protein from grass-fed dairy cows based in Australia, New Zealand or the United States of America. All of our products, including our high-quality Whey Protein Concentrate, are developed, blended, packed and shipped from clean, green Tasmania, right here in Australia.
What’s the Bulk Nutrients Whey Protein Concentrate difference?
We back up our Whey Protein Concentrate (and all of our products) with independent scientific testing by the Australian Government’s National Measurement Institute (NMI).
You can see the results for each product on the “Lab Testing Results” tab on each product page – check out the results for Chocolate Whey Protein Concentrate here.
Our testing shows that the Bulk Nutrients Whey Protein Concentrate has some of the highest raw protein percentages on the market, up to two per cent higher than some raw Whey Protein Concentrates.
We source the highest quality raw ingredients
When it comes to a high-quality Whey Protein Concentrate, you can’t mask poor raw ingredients. Remember, at Bulk Nutrients, we source our top-quality whey from grass-fed dairy cows in Australia, New Zealand and the United States with preferred sources in each country. We only select raw Whey Protein Concentrate which is hormone (rBST) free. This hormone, recombinant bovine somatotropin, is a type of artificial growth hormone that increases milk production, but it’s not present in any of the whey we source for Bulk Nutrients products.
Our Whey Protein Concentrate has a consistent flavour profile, made from the same cheese year-round. Other Whey Protein Concentrates use a mix of cheeses as their starting point for Whey Protein Concentrates, which is why you might find unpleasantly surprising taste variations in other Whey Protein Concentrate powders.
Our proteins remain pure from start to finish
We also focus on purity in our proteins. You’ll find other companies may use fillers and extra ingredients in their products – both to stretch the product economically and to make it more palatable. At Bulk Nutrients, we believe Whey Protein Concentrate is most effective in its purest form, which is why we add the smallest amounts of sweetener and flavour in our Whey Protein Concentrates. This way, you get a delicious Whey Protein Concentrate that packs a nutritional punch.
Finally, our Whey Protein Concentrate comes in your choice of 11 flavours, so you’ll find the perfect taste to tempt your palate with so much variety you’ll never get bored. Think Choc Honeycomb, Choc Ice Cream and Salted Caramel, as well as Raw unflavoured Whey Protein Concentrate for the purists.
Increase your muscle gains and boost your overall health with Whey Protein Concentrate
When it comes to choosing a supplement that has so many benefits to support your fitness goals AND boost your health and wellbeing, you can’t go past Whey Protein Concentrate.
Remember, Whey Protein Concentrate:
- Has a complete amino acid profile
- Supports lean muscle development
- Supports fat loss
- Satisfies your appetite and cravings
- Is great value for money
- Is so easy to mix and consume when and where you need it
Get started with the Whey Protein Concentrate from Bulk Nutrients today.
At Bulk Nutrients, we’re here for you
Whether you’re an experienced athlete or just starting out on your health and fitness journey, we’re here to support you every step of the way. If you’ve got any questions about our high-quality Australian Whey Protein Concentrate or any of our products, please get in touch with us. And, remember, we offer free samples of our products.
Call us on +61 3 6266 4725 or use our online contact form.
Ben Crowley, founder of Australia's top sports supplement brand, Bulk Nutrients, combines two decades of industry experience with a commitment to employee work-life balance and career growth.
A firm believer in quality, Ben founded Bulk Nutrients to provide affordable, high-quality products, even amid global challenges.
Apart from business, he enjoys family time, outdoor activities, and adrenaline-charged car projects.
More about Ben CrowleyReferences:
- Arnarson, A. (2017). 10 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Whey Protein. [online] Healthline. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-health-benefits-of-whey-protein.
- Crowley, B. (2017). How whey protein is made?. [online] Bulk Nutrients. Available at: https://www.bulknutrients.com.au/blog/how-whey-protein-is-made/.
- Spano, M. (2011). Lose Weight with Whey - Marie Spano, MS, RD, CSCS, CSSD. [online] Marie Spano, MS, RD, CSCS, CSSD : mariespano.com/lose-weight-with-whey/
- Tyler, A. (2016). 7 Tips for Choosing the Best Protein Powder for You. [online] Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic. Available at: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/7-tips-choosing-best-protein-powder.
- Mayo Clinic. (2017). Whey protein. [online] : mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-whey-protein/art-20363344
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