There are two different proteins in milk. Casein makes up the largest proportion, whey protein the smaller. It is a complete protein, which means that whey protein contains all 9 essential amino acids.

These essential amino acids are: Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan & Valine. The proportion of branched-chain amino acids, also called BCAA, is particularly high here. This ensures that a whey protein is a very interesting food for the quick and relatively cheap intake of large amounts of high quality protein.

Whey Protein is further divided into three different categories namely – Isolate, Concentrate, and Hydrolysate.

Whey Protein Concentrate

Whey Protein Concentrate is the “cheapest” and most widespread form of all types of whey protein. The concentrate is the result of ultrafiltration of the whey. Due to the favorable production and the appealing protein content of approx. 70% – 80%, whey protein concentrate is the most common variant to be found in the products. It is also the most popular choice for most users in terms of taste.

Whey Protein Isolate

There are two different variants of whey protein isolate with which you get two raw materials that are very similar, but differ. Most of the isolates that you can buy are made using microfiltration. By filtering the lactose is filtered out so strongly that the protein content rises to up to 90% and can therefore also be used by people who are lactose intolerant.

In the second method, ion exchange, almost all of the fat is filtered out in addition to the lactose. In the end, this means a protein content of up to 95% and thus represents the highest protein content.

Whey Protein Hydrolysate

A whey protein hydrolysate is the most widely processed form of whey protein raw material. In this production, the existing amino acid chains are broken down by chemical processes. The body can absorb the protein more easily or more quickly. The extent to which this is an advantage depends on the point of view. The raw material produced during hydrolysis is mostly bitter in its basic taste, so far only a few manufacturers have managed to create a tasty product from it. The number of products that are safe to drink is increasing all the time.

Whey Protein Blends

The whey protein blends are a mixture of the three variants described so far. While there were only very few of these mixtures a few years ago, the number is increasing significantly, especially in the higher price segment. The type of mixture has also changed. In the past, it was almost exclusively concentrate / isolate mixtures; nowadays hydrolysate is increasingly found in whey protein blends.

Whey Protein Concentrate Vs Whey Protein Isolate

Whey isolate and whey concentrate differ on the basis of time of the manufacturing process. To put it simply, whey isolate goes through a more intense manufacturing process as compared to whey concentrate. With whey isolate, most of the carbohydrates and fats are removed to gather protein content due to the acute processing. However, with whey concentrate, fats & carbohydrates remain.

Whey protein isolate, with all fats and carbohydrates removed helps in boosting the protein concentration to almost 90-95%. For those who have trouble with milk, it is of great benefit.

If talking about whey protein concentrate, it contains 70-80 % of protein. Also, it contains a low amount of lactose and fat. However, it is always more than whey protein isolate. Whey protein concentrate is naturally seen inferior to whey protein isolate by many fitness diehards. This is because of the fat and carb content. However, if processed well, whey protein concentrate can be an excellent option for whey protein isolate.

Furthermore, the different amino acids found in whey isolate and whey concentrate are almost similar as they are processed from the same material.