Nearly two thirds of survey respondents who exercise regularly and are aware of whey protein hydrolysates believe they are superior to normal whey proteins for sports nutrition, according to a new survey.
Researchers from Lindberg International, commissioned by Arla Foods Ingredients, questioned 2,649 consumers who exercise for more than three hours a week about their use of, and knowledge about, whey protein.
Respondents were located in the US, UK, Brazil, Germany and Japan.
About 48% said they had heard of whey protein hydrolysates and, within this group, 60% said they believed them to be better than standard whey proteins.
Meanwhile, 29% did not know whether or not they were better, and only 11% thought they were no better.
The results showed that, on average, those who had heard of whey protein hydrolysates consume them eight times per month.
Some 81% of respondents said they consume them at least once a month, and 22% said they consume them 11 or more times per month.
Researchers also asked those respondents who were aware of whey protein hydrolysates to pick a benefit associated with them.
Thirty-four percent said ‘muscle building’, 29% cited ‘faster absorption into the muscles’, 24% selected ‘muscle recovery’ and 13% said ‘increased performance’.
Whey protein hydrolysates are premium proteins that have been finely chopped – or ‘pre-digested’ – so they are absorbed more quickly by the body than standard proteins.
This ensures they get to work faster on helping the muscles recover after exercise.
In particular, they offer a range of benefits that will appeal directly to serious users of sports nutrition.
These include easy digestion, fast absorption, rapid delivery of the key amino acids for muscle building and increased fat burn for improved body composition.
For sport nutrition manufacturers, whey protein hydrolysates offer a wide range of functional benefits, providing a key ingredient for producing truly crystal clear protein drinks, for adding protein into sports gels, and for increasing the softness and shelf life of protein bars.
