Lacprodan 80 Arla 

ABSTRACT

Whey protein has been shown to be nutritionally superior to other sources of protein when it comes to promoting satiety and improving muscle mass. Now Arla Foods Ingredients has developed Lacprodan 80, an advanced whey protein concentrate for the functional foods and beverages market.

Lacprodan 80 is made from whey protein of the highest nutritional quality. It is high in branched chain amino acids, which optimise the body’s muscle-building and satiety response mechanisms, and offers a quicker digestion time in comparison with casein, another popular source of milk protein.

Lacprodan 80 is suitable for use in a range of applications targeting the sports nutrition and functional food and drink markets, including milk and water-based beverages and soups.

INTRODUCTION

Whey protein has long been popular with body-builders and elite athletes for its superb muscle-building and satiety benefits. Specialist health stores have embraced this opportunity, and offered a wide range of high-protein products, such as shakes and whole meal replacements, often enriched with other nutrients like fibres, vitamins and minerals.

In recent years, however, whey protein has emerged from this niche to go mainstream. Now, increasing numbers of ‘ordinary’ health-conscious consumers are demanding food and beverage products that help them stay fit, toned and looking and feeling good but which are convenient to integrate into their everyday lives. Whey protein offers them the perfect solution.

In fact, market analyst Euromonitor International reports that protein supplements are currently the fastest growing category in consumer health. It says protein products have delivered consistent year-on-year growth and added more than US$2 billion in retail value sales between 2006 and 2011.

The key to tapping into this growth opportunity is to offer consumers ‘lifestyle’ protein-based products that are delicious and easy to consume, since these shoppers are not willing to make the taste and convenience sacrifices accepted by niche protein consumers such as body-builders. To help food and beverage companies do this, Arla Foods Ingredients has developed Lacprodan^® DI-7017, an advanced whey protein concentrate that offers all the proven nutrition characteristics of whey proteins, but which is also easy to use in mainstream products consumers will love and be willing to pay a premium for.

OUTSTANDING SOURCE OF PROTEIN

Whey proteins have long been recognised as an outstanding source of high quality protein. This is because they are easily digestible and contain high levels of the essential amino acids (EAA) and branched chain amino acids (BCAA) compared with other protein sources (see Table 1).

TABLE 1

Branched chain amino acids (BCAA) content of key protein.

    Source: USDEC 2000

A high-protein diet has been shown to induce sustained reductions in appetite, ad libitum caloric intake and body weight (^1-2, ^4-8). Increa sing levels of protein in the diet it gives a multi-factorial approach for weight management through:

·              Increased satiety (^1-2)

·              Increased thermogenesis (³)

·              Preservation of fat-free body mass (^{2, 4})

Whey protein’s high BCCA content plays specific metabolic roles in the regulation of muscle protein synthesis (^9-11) for improved body  composition. The BCAAs (leucine, isoleucine and valine) support protein synthesis and play specific metabolic roles as energy substrates and in the regulation of muscle protein synthesis (¹¹).

The effect of a whey supplement on body composition was evaluated in a recent study that investigated sedentary, overweight adults who were subjected to an exercise regimen for 10 weeks (¹²).

It was found that exercising with or without the whey supplement resulted in loss of fat mass and an increase in lean mass, compared with  subjects who remained sedentary. However, those who received the whey supplement lost twice as much fat (-9.3% vs -4.6%) and experienced a greater increase in muscle mass (+2.3%). They also displayed an improved physiological response to exercise and significant reductions in  total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein. In addition, those consuming the whey protein supplement spontaneously decreased their energy intake by 14.4%. 

A key reason why whey protein is considered nutritionally superior is because it is classed as a ‘fast’ protein. This means it is easily absorbed by the gut and produces a more rapid spike in the levels of amino acids in blood plasma, compared with other sources of protein (10). Consuming Lacprodan 80 alone in a beverage or in combination with fibres maximises the potential for staying fit and toned, because it increased satiety and lean body mass.

COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS

Lacprodan 80 is ideal for use in a comprehensive range of functional foods and drinks, including milk and water-based beverages and soups. It contains 100% whey protein, is UHT-stable, offers neutral pH and tastes good. These attributes make it especially attractive to manufacturers wishing to develop long shelf life products designed for weight management and the increase of muscle mass simultaneously.

BENEFITS OF LACPRODAN 80 AT-A-GLANCE

·              100% whey protein

·              Excellent amino acid profile

·              Highly digestible and soluble

·              UHT-stable at neutral pH

·              Suitable for long shelf life products

CONCLUSION

Whey protein is already the gold-standard in proteins, thanks to its excellent EAA profile and the high proportion of BCAAs it contains. It offers improved satiety, increases lean body mass and aids weight maintenance.

Health-conscious consumers are always on the lookout for products that will help them stay fit and toned by regulating their weight and preserving muscle mass. A nutritional ingredient that promises to help them achieve this in an easy and enjoyable way is a  compelling offer. 

Formulating functional food and beverage products with Lacprodan^® DI-7017, a high quality whey protein, enables companies to offer great-tasting and highly nutritional products that will appeal to consumers and help them to stay fit and toned as part of an active life.

REFERENCES

11         Veldhorst et al. (2009). Physiology & Behavior 96:675-682

12         Pilvi et al. (2009). British Journal of Nutrition 102:337-341

13         Acheson et al. (2011). American Society for Nutrition 1-10

14         Shi et al. (2012). Journal of Functional Foods 4:440-449

15         Westerterp-Plantenga et al. (2009). Annu Rev Nutr 29:21-41

16         Weigle et al. (2005). American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 82:41

17         Johansson et al. (2013). American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (doi:10.3945/ajcn.113.070052.)

18         Baer et al. (2011). Journal of Nutrition 141: 1489–1494

19         Volek et al. (2013). Journal of the American College of Nutrition 32:2 122-135

20         Pennings (2011). American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 93:997–1005 

21         Layman (2002). Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology 27:646-662 12

22         Lockwood et al. (2008). Nutrition & Metabolism 5:11