Egg Protein Powder: How Is It Made?
Eggs are one of the most common sources of protein in most people’s diets. They are also one of the best sources of high-quality protein found in nature, having the highest protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) of any whole food. This means that eggs are high in the amino acids humans need and are easily digestible. Furthermore, egg protein is an excellent source of leucine, the amino acid that is critical for muscle health.
However, if you want to load up on egg protein, this doesn’t mean you need to add more eggs to your diet. Instead, you can take egg protein powder as a source of high-quality protein to aid with training, muscle building and muscle repair.
What Is Egg Protein Powder?
Egg protein powder is made from egg whites. This makes it a high-quality and digestible source of protein without the fat or cholesterol found in egg yolks. Just like whole eggs, egg protein powder contains almost an exact match of the proteins humans need for muscle and general health.
Egg protein powder is a popular fitness supplement and is also commonly used by bakers and confectioners. The powder retains the nutritional benefits of the egg white, including the complete protein profile, while being more convenient to store and transport than fresh eggs.
Egg protein is not only a high-quality and very healthy source of protein, but it is also ideal for people who are allergic to dairy or milk proteins. It is also considered a medium-digesting protein, helping to keep you satisfied for longer than fast-digesting proteins.
How Egg Protein Powder Is Made
The first step in the egg protein production process is to isolate the egg white protein. Some egg protein supplements are made from the whole egg, that is the egg white and the yolk. However, the vast majority of egg protein powders are made from egg whites only.
Usually, the raw egg is gently broken open using a machine, which then separates out the egg yolk from the egg white. The egg has to be cracked and the egg white separated very quickly in order to avoid the albumen sticking to the eggshell.
Next, the egg white is pulverised and then pasteurised in order to kill bacteria and other microbes. Similar to the pasteurisation process for dairy products, this involves exposing the egg white to very high temperatures for a short period of time. This kills unwanted microorganisms while leaving the protein intact.
Finally, it is dried into a powder, typically using a spray-drying process. This involves spreading the pulverised egg whites into a thin layer and then using high temperatures to evaporate the water from the egg white. The dried egg whites are then ground down into egg protein powder.
How To Take Egg Protein
Egg protein powder is a versatile supplement that can be taken in many ways. It is most commonly used to make protein shakes for energy or to aid with muscle recovery after a workout.
How much egg protein you should take will depend on your body type, weight and energy needs. However, generally speaking, the high leucine content means that you don’t need as much egg protein powder compared to other protein powders in order to build muscle.
Egg protein powder can be taken at any time of the day in order to provide a healthy and hunger-suppressing form of energy. To build muscle, it is best taken before and following training. This will deliver the amino acids at the best time to optimally build and repair muscle.
