Protein powder mixtures are a component of the market of supplements in continuous diffusion, both in the sports world and extra. The quality of a protein source is therefore increasingly becoming a topic of discussion and, very often, proteins of dairy origin are the masters. This does not mean that alternative protein sources are also spreading, both from the animal and vegetable world and, among these, beef proteins.
Beef proteins, before being used as a supplement, were consumed exclusively in the form of food. Skepticism combined with curiosity has created certain chaos (also communicative, both by companies and "experts") but, fortunately, there is already a search for support.
Some of the first research on beef protein, completed in 2007, demonstrated their ability to support a strong increase in muscle protein synthesis (Symons et al. 2007).
Beef proteins vs whey proteins
In these terms, "isolated" versions of whey protein are often considered the source of the highest quality proteins because of their high concentrations of leucine and other essential amino acids.
For this reason, for years (before the advent of hydrolyzed protein blends), the intake of "faster" digestion proteins such as post-workout whey isolate has been recommended. A rather "primitive" strategy to influence muscle recovery, considered for a long time as a sort of a cornerstone of the first "peri-workout" integration-nutrition concepts.
In this regard, it is interesting to point out a recent 2015 survey that directly compared the ingestion of beef proteins with the ingestion of whey proteins. This research concluded for the first time that while both beef and whey proteins both significantly increased muscle protein synthesis, whey proteins showed a greater anabolic response. compared to beef isolates (Burd et al. 2015) due to the higher content of leucine and essential amino acids, as well as the ability to stimulate increases in muscle protein synthesis (Areta et al. 2013).
Needless to say, the potential of the protein mixture derived from beef has been overshadowed by all dairy protein derivatives. In this innovative wake determined by the development of hydrolysis processes for the processing of dairy products (developed for infants or clinical feeding), the new chemical extraction technologies have made it possible to obtain an interesting hydrolyzed version of the beef protein isolate, which they have properties that are tracing the popularity of this protein source particularly suitable for dairy intolerants and those who appreciate the properties of proteins of bovine origin.
The HydroBeef + ™ patent
The raw material that has revived the image of beef proteins is the HydroBeef + ™ patent, which is a mixture of peptide chains of various sizes deriving from hydrolyzed beef proteins.
Through a double spray drying and hydrolysis extraction process, it has been possible to obtain a mixture with a very high concentration of small peptides, maintaining all the characteristics of high nutritional quality that have made the proteins from the meat much more digestible and easier to absorb. beef. Not only. A further plus lies in the fact that the meat from which this material is obtained derives from cows grazed in Sweden in the "grass-fed" field, which comes from certified farms:
- hormone-free,
- antibiotic-free,
- no GMO.
The HydroBeef® patent, in addition to being made up of highly concentrated hydrolyzed beef proteins (+ 97%), boasts a very interesting amino acid profile, which has proven to have an even greater "nitrogen score" than whey proteins (101.5 vs 100) with particularly high levels of proline, glutamine, and arginine.
This mixture is suitable for the most sensitive lactose intolerant or milk proteins who are looking for an alternative way to support muscle recovery, given that it has all the digestive and absorption peculiarities of "hydrolyzed" / predigested proteins from other sources. Specifically, the compound of the "disassembled" polypeptide chains consists of:
- 15% of peptides of molecular size = 6,000 Daltons,
- 55% in the 3000 range
- 30% is considered a true "super peptide" with a molecular weight of 500 Dalton or even lower.
All in favor of excellent digestibility and rapid bioavailability in favor of a more efficient and rapid muscle rebuilding process. The particular amino acid profile of these hydrolyzed from beef offers an "eye of respect" for the support and structural protection of cartilage and ligaments. Keep in mind that glycine, a non-essential amino acid present in the vast majority of animal proteins and found in tendons and muscles, makes up about a third of the structure of collagen, where proline and hydroxyproline also participate in the composition (present in high concentration in hydrolyzed beef).
These amino acids have not only been promoted by followers of the paleo diet but are being highlighted from an antiaging point of view. It is, in fact, a protein blend suitable in particular for more mature athletes because it contains all those "bricks" necessary for activities with high potential for protein breakdown, with a strong impact on maintaining the functionality of joints and ligaments. Furthermore, glycine is an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, where it helps regulate motor neurons and promotes a faster passage of the nervous system from alert during training to recovery mode.
Sources
- "A moderate serving of high-quality protein maximally stimulates skeletal muscle protein synthesis in young and elderly subjects." J Am Diet Assoc. 2009 Sep;109(9):1582-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2009.06.369. Symons TB1, Sheffield-Moore M, Wolfe RR, Paddon-Jones D.
- "The effects of beef protein isolate and whey protein isolate supplementation on lean mass and strength in resistance trained individuals - a double blind, placebo controlled study" Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015; 12(Suppl 1): P11. Published online 2015 Sep 21. doi: 10.1186/1550-2783-12-S1-P11PMCID: PMC4595383J
Matthew Sharp,1Kevin Shields,1Ryan Lowery,1Jason Lane,1Jeremy Partl,1Chase Holmer,1Julie Minevich,1Eduardo De Souza,1 and Jacob Wilson1 - "Differences in postprandial protein handling after beef compared with milk ingestion during postexercise recovery: a randomized controlled trial." Am J Clin Nutr 102 (4):828-36. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.114.103184. Burd, N. A., S. H. Gorissen, S. van Vliet, T. Snijders, and L. J. van Loon. 2015.
- "Dose-dependent responses of myofibrillar protein synthesis with beef ingestion are enhanced with resistance exercise in middle-aged men." Appl Physiol Nutr Metab 38 (2):120-5. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2012-0092. Robinson, M. J., N. A. Burd, L. Breen, T. Rerecich, Y. Yang, A. J. Hector, S. K. Baker, and S. M. Phillips. 2013.
