TYPES OF PROTEIN:
What is Casein Protein? First, let us explain to you what Casein is:
Casein is the most predominant phosphoprotein found in milk and cheese. When coagulated with rennet, casein is sometimes called paracasein. British terminology, on the other hand, uses the term caseinogen for the uncoagulated protein and casein for the coagulated protein. As it exists in milk, it is a salt of calcium.
Casein proteins are pH sensitive and gel in the acidic environment of the stomach. As a result, it can take more than twice as long for caseins to be broken-down into their amino acid subcomponents than whey and other proteins. Because of these unique "time-released" qualities, caseins are aptly described as being anti-catabolic, or muscle-protecting, proteins.
Soy protein is generally regarded as the storage protein held in discrete particles called protein bodies which are estimated to contain at least 60-70% of the total soybean protein. Upon germination of the soybean, the protein will be digested and the released amino acids will be transported to locations of seedling growth. Legume proteins, such as soy, and pulses belong to the globulin family of seed storage proteins called leguminins (11S) and vicilins (7S), or glycinin and beta-conglycinin in soybeans. Grains contain a third type of storage protein called gluten or "prolamines". Soybeans also contain biologically active or metabolic proteins such as enzymes, trypsin inhibitors, hemagglutinins, and cysteine proteases. The soy cotyledon storage proteins, important for human nutrition, can be extracted most efficiently by water, water plus dilute alkali (pH 7-9), or aqueous solutions of sodium chloride (0.5-2 M) from dehulled and defatted soybeans that have undergone only a minimal heat treatment so that the protein is close to being native or undenatured. Soybeans are processed into three kinds of protein-rich products; soy flour, soy concentrate, and soy isolate.
Whey protein is the name for a collection of globular proteins that can be isolated from whey, a by-product of cheese manufactured from cow's milk. It is typically a mixture of beta-lactoglobulin (~65%), alpha-lactalbumin (~25%), and serum albumin (~8%), which are soluble in their native forms, independent of pH. Whey has the highest Biological Value (BV) of any known protein.
Native whey protein does not aggregate upon renneting or acidification of milk. Prolonged heat-treatment at sufficiently high temperatures and long duration will denature (i.e. partly unfold) the whey protein, triggering hydrophobic interactions with other proteins, and the formation of disulfide bonds between whey proteins and casein micelles, leading to aggregation with other milk proteins at low pH.
Whey protein can be denatured (irreversibly changed) by heat — similar to the protein in egg whites which, when fried, permanently changes from a clear liquid to a white solid. When subjected to high heat (like the sustained high temperatures above 72 degrees Celsius (160 degrees Fahrenheit) associated with the pasteurization process) whey proteins become denatured and lose some bioactive compounds like cysteine, an amino acid that is a precursor to glutathione, an antioxidant.
Whey protein typically comes in three major forms: concentrate, isolate and hydrolysate. Whey protein concentrates contain a low level of fat and cholesterol but generally have higher levels of bioactive compounds, and carbohydrates in the form of lactose — they are 29%-89% protein by weight. Isolates are processed to remove the fat, and lactose, yet are usually lower in bioactive compounds as well — they are 90%+ protein by weight. Hydrolysates are predigested, partially hydrolyzed whey proteins which consequently are more easily absorbed, but their cost is generally higher.
USES:
Whey protein contains high levels of both essential and non-essential amino acids, and pregnant mothers are sometimes advised by their obstetricians to supplement their diets with whey protein to ensure that their developing babies get all the basic amino acids they might need.
Like other protein supplements, whey powder is commonly used by bodybuilders and athletes desiring to accelerate muscle development and aid in recovery. Some individuals with suppressed/abnormal immune systems and/or degenerative diseases use undenatured bioactive whey proteins to increase their antioxidant levels. Undenatured whey proteins are a good source of cysteine, a conditionally essential amino acid which is the rate limiting factor for the body's production of glutathione, an important antioxidant.
Examples of commercial whey proteins include those available in most health food stores and supermarket health sections; they typically consist of isolate/concentrate or isolate/concentrate/hydrolysate mixtures and they are usually flavoured so they can be mixed with water or milk and consumed as a drink or shake. Whey Protein production has meant that whey is now easily integrated into many nutritional formulae.
Egg Protein contains the nutritional equivalent of seven egg whites and takes only 10 seconds to prepare. It provides a complete profile of essential Amino Acids, Branched Chain Amino Acids and Glutamic Acid.
Eggs provide a significant amount of protein to one's diet, as well as various nutrients.
Chicken eggs are the most commonly eaten eggs, and are highly nutritious. They supply a large amount of complete, high-quality[2] protein (which contains all essential amino acids for humans), and provide significant amounts of several vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, riboflavin, folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, choline, iron, calcium, phosphorous and potassium. They are also one of the least expensive single-food sources of complete protein. One large chicken egg contains approximately 7 grams of protein.
All of the egg's vitamin A, D and E is in the yolk. The egg is one of the few foods which naturally contain vitamin D (although this nutrient is naturally produced in humans when their skin is exposed to sunlight). A large egg yolk contains approximately 60 calories (250 kilojoules); the egg white contains about 15 calories (60 kilojoules). A large yolk contains more than two-thirds of the recommended daily intake of 300 mg of cholesterol (although it has been shown that your body does not absorb much cholesterol from eggs[3]). The yolk makes up about 33% of the liquid weight of the egg. It contains all of the fat in the egg and slightly less than half of the protein.
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