How Does Your Protein Powder Measure Up?

LesterBlackstone

From Reddit:

I've decided to offer one time protein measurement service for your protein supplements.

Here is how it works:

1) Post what you want to submit below. Double submissions of the same brand is accepted. (Edit: Please explicitly indicate that you can send a sample.)

2) I'll PM you my address. I live in the US.

3) You'll send me a spoonful of your powder in a small ziplock with the brand name and your reddit nick. Unopened sample packs are preferred. It should reach me by May 27.

4) Following week I'll measure the samples using a colorimetric assay from Biorad (same or similar to the one in the other post). I'll post the results on a public Google doc and indicate who sent which sample.

The Results:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?key=0Ag9uT-E4EIL7dFZPZnR0WVZybGtFWnRKNzdKNm9XOVE&type=view&gid=0&f=true&sortcolid=-1&sortasc=true&rowsperpage=250


Granted, this was an unofficial experiment with no oversight or accreditation, so take it for what it's worth. Hopefully this provokes a more rigorous independent review.

Sarauk2sf

From Reddit:

I've decided to offer one time protein measurement service for your protein supplements.

Here is how it works:

1) Post what you want to submit below. Double submissions of the same brand is accepted. (Edit: Please explicitly indicate that you can send a sample.)

2) I'll PM you my address. I live in the US.

3) You'll send me a spoonful of your powder in a small ziplock with the brand name and your reddit nick. Unopened sample packs are preferred. It should reach me by May 27.

4) Following week I'll measure the samples using a colorimetric assay from Biorad (same or similar to the one in the other post). I'll post the results on a public Google doc and indicate who sent which sample.

The Results:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?key=0Ag9uT-E4EIL7dFZPZnR0WVZybGtFWnRKNzdKNm9XOVE&type=view&gid=0&f=true&sortcolid=-1&sortasc=true&rowsperpage=250


Granted, this was an unofficial experiment with no oversight or accreditation, so take it for what it's worth. Hopefully this provokes a more rigorous independent review.

Very interesting results, and as you say, hopefully it will provoke more oversight as to the claims made by the manufacturers.

(I am hoping the 'maybe' results are wrong though, as I just ordered some today! But feeling good that I usually use ON!)

LexyDB

Always have and always will use Reflex Nutrition (for those in the UK) as their protein content is 100% accurate, tastes great and it British made, helps the economy!

Shock_Wave

Granted, this was an unofficial experiment with no oversight or accreditation

I personally would NOT take this experiments validity with a grain of salt.

dusty8907

Seems pretty accurate to be honest, being as the proteins aren't FDA regulated these companies can send out a sample to get tested and proved at what they print the label at and change the formula completely before putting it into that container. Optimum Nutrition All Natural is my protein of choice and it seems on this chart to not be a bad one. Gaspari Myofusion i was pretty surprised about though.

Shock_Wave

print the label at and change the formula completely before putting it into that container.

Uhh this ^practice is not a good way to stay in business and not to mention highly illegal in the USA.

Edit: LOL at "Seems pretty accurate to be honest" after it was clearly stated "this was an unofficial experiment with no oversight or accreditation"

gatecityradio

I'm curious about "lifetime" plant protein. I just bought some and I like it so far, as it doesn't tear my stomach up like whey.

LesterBlackstone

Commentary from the researcher:

I promised here to measure the protein content of various supplement powders. Many people offered to send samples and I selected some. Yesterday and today after couple hours of work I finished the measurements.

Here are the results

My interpretation: I haven't measured any powder as 100% accurate. The reason probably is that none of it dissolved in water as good as my BSA standard. I gave a subjective solubility score to each. For example many chocolate flavored powders left a debris that looks like cacao, I gave them score of 4. Plant based powders didn't dissolve at all so got solubility score of 1 and obviously had low readings which doesn't mean anything. I guess they are just plant powders not isolated proteins.

Brandwise, Optimum Nutrition looks very reliable to me. Gaspari and Body Fortress are suspicious and deserves another independent measurement. The others are OK, remember that solubility is important and 75% reading might just be attributable to that. Finally, stay away from American Pure Whey.

Bitcoin donations are welcome: 14Gy12JvWG43ft56ckfLVAyBNz6frwgwzX

EDIT: For those of you who are suspicious of APW results, check out the previous thread that inspired this one. They did not find any protein either.

EDIT: Thanks for the bitcoin donations. I'll turn them into caffeine, that into science and hopefully that into more broscience.

EDIT: For those of you who are curious here is the photo of the plate and my standard curve.

EDIT: As pointed out by the submitter MyProtein has a fine print that says cocoa in chocolate flavored protein makes the actual protein content %8 less than the unflavored one. We measured the chocolate version so I adjusted the claimed protein per serving from 19.6g to 18g. This pushed the reading to 90%.

EDIT: No, I'm not taking any more submissions. If I plan I'll post another call. In the meantime are there any other gym-rat/lab-rat that wants to take over?

EDIT: There has been very valuable suggestions in the comments by people who are more experienced than me in the lab. If anyone wants to do something similar in the future here are some thing we have learned:

Sonicate your samples

Try to find a research grade whey/casein standard from a reputable brand

Seek for alternative assays (total nitrogen, Kjeldahl, HPLC etc.)

If you are going to add detergent (which I didn't), make sure that your assay is compatible with that.

EDIT: Gaspari posted an official response.

FINAL EDIT: I would like to add one last comment. This experimentation created thousands of comments around the net, especially in bb.com forums. Many people raised concerns about the testing methods, many raised concerns about Gaspari products. I want to state that I know me doing this is ridiculous. But it is not ridiculous because my testing method has a large margin of error (of course it does) but because I am the only one in the world that does this. Please reflect on the status quo rather than single outing Gaspari. Here is a billion dollar industry and no qualified third party is doing a comparative analysis and customers don't seem to care. Can you imagine a world where CPUs and GPUs are not benchmarked? Of course some benchmarking methods are flawed or not suitable for certain products but that is not the point. Somebody should do it and it had to start somewhere. Let's push places like Cosumer Reports, large fitness websites or magazines to do this properly. I hope my effort can raise enough awareness. That is my only wish. So long.

LesterBlackstone

Granted, this was an unofficial experiment with no oversight or accreditation

I personally would NOT take this experiments validity with a grain of salt.

I don't think you understand what "take it with a grain of salt" means.

wellbert

Granted, this was an unofficial experiment with no oversight or accreditation

I personally would NOT take this experiments validity with a grain of salt.

I don't think you understand what "take it with a grain of salt" means.

tee hee.