What Is Demineralized Whey Powder?

Whey powder is the solid concentration of a substance called whey. Demineralized whey powder is one of many varieties of whey protein powders and has several nutritional benefits. It is most commonly valued as a dietary supplement to aid in fitness conditioning efforts. Whey is also an ingredient in processed foods.

What Is Whey?

• Whey is the liquid byproduct of cheese production. Cheese is made by extracting casein and fat from milk, and the leftover substance leftover is called whey. There are many different "flavors" of whey---it all depends on the source of the milk, the production method used to make the cheese, the type of cheese produced and the added ingredients. Sometimes additional filtering of the whey is performed to compensate for allergies or to make it more protein potent.

Types of Whey Powder

• The raw liquid whey is composed of 94 percent water in addition to lactose, proteins (primarily globulins and lactalbumins) and various vitamins and minerals. From this liquid, whey powder is made by drying out most of the water from this substance.
  Sweet whey powder is the dried byproduct of the rennet enzyme produced from cheeses such as cheddar, mozzarella and Swiss.
  Acid whey powder is the dried out byproduct of cheese produced by acid coagulation, such as in cottage and ricotta cheeses. Delactosed whey powder is a result of further extraction of lactose from the raw liquid whey as part of an additional filtering process.

Demineralized Whey Powder

• Like delactosed whey powder, demineralized whey powder is the product of additional purification. Seventy to 90 percent of the minerals contained in the raw whey mixture (mainly calcium and ash) are filtered out, and the remaining liquid is dried to produce demineralized whey powder. It's used as an ingredient in many processed foods as a means of boosting their nutritional value.

Benefits

• All whey powders are a rich source of complete proteins, which contain all of the essential amino acids vital to the body's well-being. In combination with resistance training, whey proteins work to build up the body's lean muscle composition while also replenishing the body's glutathione, which becomes depleted during exercise. Glutathione is an antioxidant needed to maintain a healthy immune system. Whey proteins are also a great nutrient for weight loss or management as they have a very low glycemic index value, help facilitate the release of appetite-suppressing hormones, and slow down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream.

Sources

• Demineralized whey powder, along with all the other types of whey powders, may be purchased in concentrate form at health food stores. Added to a smoothie or shake, these powders serve as a versatile nutritional supplement. Many processed foods such as breads, cereals, soups, sauces and condiments contain whey as an ingredient. Unfortunately, many processed foods also contain other ingredients that are not beneficial to the body's health. Accordingly, always read the label and take all ingredients into account before making a dietary decision about any food.