Whey Protein Isolate

Understanding the different types of whey protein available as supplements is important, and whey protein isolate is one type. Whey protein concentrate is the basic processed whey protein powder (one step up from plain old ‘whey’ liquid). A step up from that – meaning it has been further processed and purified – is whey protein isolate.

Whey protein isolate tends to be filtered using three main different methods:

Micro Filtration

During this process, whey liquid is passed through micro porous membranes (sieves, you could say) in order to purify the whey protein by removing unwanted content.

Cold Filtration

Cold filtration is done in conjunction with the micro filtration process, only the temperature is kept deliberately chilled.

Ion-Exchange

Ion-Exchange works to purify whey protein using electricity by running it through an Ion-Exchange column.

All three of these processes tend to produce whey protein of above 90% purity.

What makes whey protein isolate popular is the higher protein yield per dose compared to whey protein concentrate, and it is an extremely popular choice of whey protein supplement for athletes who want top-notch whey protein – as well as those who want virtually no fat and lactose, as whey protein isolate has had these elements all but completely filtered out.

Additional filtering, as you would expect, does mean an increased price tag for the consumer, and many opt for purchasing blends of whey protein concentrate and isolate as this better suits their budget.