Within the health food industry, there is clash between:
- Manufacturer targets,
- Methods of precision measurement
- Food labelling regulations, and
- Consumer information
Which results in an inconsistency of information representation within a single product type; in our case, Protein Powder.
More specifically within this category are the "Protein values", which can be reported in nutritional information as Actual 'as is' protein or the Dry-Basis protein.
These options are not consistent amongst producers which means information can statistically be represented using slightly differing criteria.
Overall, this nuance generally does not noticeably affect the average consumer; potentially netting a difference of 10-20%* protein content in product, meaning you could be paying for a product twice over; through its price and misrepresented protein value.
At Aus Natural Protein we seek to serve above average consumer... we serve the type of people who are interested in optimising health, are enthusiastic about purity and are savvy & research-informed.
If that's you, and you haven't tried our product...well maybe you should give it a go - Shop Now.
Do you want to learn more? Lets get Technical.
- The Actual 'as-is' protein is specifically the protein value measured which includes moisture and is observed in a laboratory as absorbed by the body and initiates tissue repair and muscle growth. Although it is imprecise to measure within a food-stuff, labs provide estimates of the hydrated nutrients as a percentage in an attempt to take into account the water component that saturates these nutrients.
- The Dry Weight or Dry-Basis Protein is a protein value where all the protein solids are measured separately to the moisture, which involves a process where any saturation of water is removed from the product before measurement. This is done to ensure a "pure" measurement, but can have a detrimental effect to the product as the protein supplement may not be 100% available to be utilised by the body, and therefore misleading in a consumption based product..
To use our products as an example, our whey protein powders contain roughly 65-70grams of actual protein per 100g, or "70% Actual as-is protein". If you were to measure out 100 grams of our product, it will directly correlate to contain 65-70 grams of actual protein, no further processing required.
If you were to dry another 100g sample of protein powder for 4 hours above 104 Degrees Celsius, the Dry basis Protein metric would read much higher at around 90%.
It is important to note that in an average, off the shelf 1kg product of protein powder, with a protein content of above 75% is considered pretty good, and it is through technicalities like this that products of lesser quality can appear to be amongst the best.
This variation in metrics due to processing is not a realistic portrayal of the product from a consumer standpoint. We advise you look out for products that report an Actual, As-is Protein metric, and is why we refuse to use glossy stats like this on our packaging.
Buyer Beware!
It is always good practice to read your nutritional labels, but if you didn't know about the ways these protein stats are measured, you couldn't know how different they are in the proof of the product.
If a label does not clearly state if its protein value is measured on an Actual 'as-is' basis, it is safest to assume it is on a Dry-weight basis.
The world of nutrition is confusing enough.
But, we value integrity.
That is why we, Australian Natural Protein Company, have decided to be as transparent as possible about our products and end the trend of confusing health advice.
*This figure is an estimate only.
