cooking with protein powder

[Q.]

I wrote Designer Protein (the brand I use) about cooking with their product. I just thought I'd share thier response in case anyone else had the same question. I'm not sure I'm convinced yet but I have more info now than before. Q

Hi Brad,

Thank you for contacting us, but No worries on cooking with Designer Whey, because of the quality of the protein. You will still retain full nutritional value, and as far as slowing on the digestion process, it is minimal.

Designer Whey contains virtually all non-denatured protein. However, exposing protein to extreme temperature (hot or cold) will denature the protein to a certain degree. For example, heating whey protein to temperatures above 140 degrees F (60 degrees C) results in denaturation. For this reason, cooking or baking with DP denatures the protein. In addition, repeated freezing and thawing of a protein solution can result in deanaturation, but simply exposing the powder to low temperatures does not cause denaturation. This does not mean that the amount of the protein is diminished. Denaturation can affect biological value (bioavilability) and may slow the digestion and absorption of the protein. Regardless, denatured protein still retains full nutritional value with regard to amino acid composition. And Designer Whey is a good source of all essential and non-essential amino acids; therefore, even if it is denatured, it is still a very high quality protein source. Also, all proteins are denatured when cooked (e.g., eggs, meat, soy, etc.). Hope this helps and we wish you all the best.

Best Regards,

Janet Bryant

Sales. Customer Relations

jbryant@nextproteins.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Brad Smith [mailto:bsmith@wimberley-tx.com]
Sent: Saturday, January 10, 2004 5:59 PM
To: customerservice@nextproteins.c om
Subject: cooking with Designer Whey



I skimmed through your recipes because I was wanting to microwave my oatmeal with Designer Whey in it. In your recipe, you indicate to add it to oatmeal after cooking. Is it not a good idea to cook the whey protein? Does cooking break it down?

Brad Smith

[bryanc]

I'm not even sure that cooking it would affect its "bioavailability" to any large extent.

[Pitbull]

Ooooo... Would it be possible to make Protein brownies with your Whey Protein?

[bryanc]

Yes, but only if you're willing to give up moist consistency and possibly eat slightly chalky tasting brownies, depending on the recipe.