What's The Deal With Egg Protein Powder?
What is Egg Protein Powder?
Funnily enough, egg protein powder comes from eggs! It's separated, pasteurised and dried. Egg protein powder is pure egg white powder (also known as albumen powder) made purely from egg whites.
Egg protein powder is popular as a protein supplement because it's also loaded with vitamins and minerals, along with all nine essential amino acids, including Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs).
How is Egg Protein Powder Made?
The first step to making egg white protein powder is separating the egg whites from the yolks and isolating the protein content of the powder. Pasteurisation is then undertaken to remove bacteria and extend the product's shelf life. Finally, the egg white is spray-dried to remove moisture content and make it packable.
Removing the egg yolk and drying the white leaves behind concentrated proteins in a smaller weight. An average egg normally has around 6 grams of protein and 5 grams of fat - taking the yolk out reduces the fat level while increasing the protein level. Keeping fats low is crucial to upping your lean mass gains without adding fat.
Egg white powder can be easily used as it is or added to juice to make shakes or smoothies. Egg white powder is available in Australia as a packed dietary supplement in different sizes.
Egg Protein Powder Benefits
Curious about the benefits of egg protein powder? Look no further!
Firstly, egg white protein powder is both dairy and lactose-free. It's high in protein, with around 25 grams of protein per 30-gram serving of powder, competing with the most refined whey and casein protein powders. Without lactose and dairy, egg protein powder can help reduce the risk of allergies. It also contains more naturally occurring vitamins and minerals per serve than any other type of protein powder.
Egg white protein powder contains all three BCAAs - leucine, isoleucine and valine. BCAAs have around 40% of the protein needs of the body, and play crucial roles in healing and recovery:
- Muscle fibre growth and regeneration which is needed to replace torn and damaged muscle tissue.
- Decreased muscle soreness is achieved by lowering protein breakdown and the levels of the hormone kinase, which signals soreness in the muscles.
- Reduced mental fatigue by suppressing the levels of the 'fatigue' hormone tryptophan.
- Maintain muscle tone by sustaining protein synthesis.
Egg protein powder is also good for your digestion. It digests at an optimal pace - it's not fast like whey, nor as slow as casein. This balance allows the protein to be fully absorbed, meaning your muscles synthesise longer, which will sustain your energy levels for longer. Egg white powder is also said to have high bioavailability, a score for protein that calculates how easy a protein is to digest. Egg protein scores a perfect 100 - making it a complete protein with all 21 amino acids the human body needs.
All of egg protein powder's benefits make it perfect for gaining lean muscle while keeping body weight low. It's great for athletes in sports where you need both endurance and explosiveness—boxing is one example.
How To Use Egg Protein Powder
How do you use egg protein powder? You can consume it raw, although many find the taste somewhat unappealing, so egg white powder is most recommended to be mixed.
It's often added to juice to make a quick post-workout drink or, more popularly, in baking for recipes like protein pancakes.
How Do You Store Egg White Powder?
White white protein powder lasts longer than a fresh egg and carries less risk of toxins like salmonella due to pasteurisation.
Unlike fresh eggs, egg protein powder is not stored in a fridge and can be stored in a cool, dry place. It shouldn't come into contact with moisture to prevent any risk of developing mould or toxins.
Egg protein powder can be easily transported to take with you on the go, making it great for camping off the grid rather than fresh produce.
