Choosing the best soy protein isolate – according to athlete and expert reviews
Soy has often been accused of many sins. But what exactly is this mysterious product and what is its secret? Read about this, as well as which soy protein is the best, in our ranking.
Types of soy protein
The main protein-containing soy preparations are:
- flour,
- concentrate,
- Isolate,
As well as textured soy protein.
The first three product groups differ in the amount of protein per 100 grams of product. The least amount of protein is found in skimmed flour – Approximately 52-59% of the product.
Then comes soy concentrate with a protein fraction of about 65-72%. Soybean protein isolate is considered the most concentrated product with a protein content of 90-92%.
Soybean meal
Made from soybeans both before and after oil extraction. Soybean meal is widely used in the food industry. Particularly in the production of sausages, canned foods and pâtés, in baking, as well as in animal nutrition.
Soy concentrate
Like soybean meal, concentrate is made from low-fat soybeans, but most of the soluble non-protein components are removed from the concentrate. There are three types of soy concentrate:
- Traditional (obtained by acid or water-alcoholic extraction),
- Combined (a traditional concentrate with a thickener, such as guar gum, which improves the water-holding capacity of the soy protein),
- High-functional (hydrothermally treated conventional concentrate with better solubility and water-holding properties).
The functional properties of the latter are comparable to those of soy isolates.
Soya isolate
The most used soy protein. Similar to concentrate, made from defatted soybeans, but the isolate lacks almost all non-protein components.
Isolated soy protein is free of carbohydrates and soy fats and contains no fiber. The isolate is well soluble and odorless, with a neutral flavor.
Textured Soy Protein
Can be made from any soy product, but is most commonly made from skimmed flour. Basically, texturated – It is a special product created by boiling soybean batter to imitate the texture of the most valuable foodstuffs.
Widely known soybean meat – is a textured soy protein. It has the fibrous structure of meat and can absorb all flavors and aromas. That is why texturated is widely used as a meat substitute and analog in the manufacture of, for example, sausages, pates, and other meat-containing products.
Before cooking, the soy proteins must be soaked or boiled in water or broth. After that, the mass of the original product increases several times.
Benefits of Soy Protein
Cost
Soy protein is much cheaper than meat and dairy products. For example, 1 kg of soy meat costs about 150 rubles. This is despite the fact that after soaking the texture increases in volume by 2-3 times.
Fiber
Because soy protein – is a plant and has fiber in its composition, t.е. dietary fiber. This component is not digested by the human body, but is food for beneficial intestinal microflora, which is good for comfortable digestion.
Lactose free
Makes it ideal for those with lactose intolerance and for vegetarians. In addition, soybeans – The perfect high-protein lean product.
Its complete amino acid profile and rich composition of important elements is also an advantage of soy compared to other vegetable proteins.
Disadvantages of Soy Protein
The following properties of soy protein should not be considered strict disadvantages. Because all of the topics described here are of an ambiguous nature.
Low digestibility and speed of digestion
Like all plant proteins, soy protein has a lower digestibility than animal proteins.
This means that about one-fifth of the soy protein eaten will not be used by the body. At what points is this a plus?? For example, for weight loss. This means that when you eat 100 grams of soy, your body will not get all 380 calories. Nevertheless, this is the amount that will be entered and taken into account in the food diary. That way, the required caloric deficit will be met with a reserve of.
At the same time, this peculiarity of soy protein can be a hindrance in the way of weight gain. Because in this case, it is the excess calories that are critical. That’s why When building muscle mass, soy protein should be used as a “spare” protein in preference to whey protein weight loss, soy protein should be used as a backup, with dairy whey proteins as a priority.
The same is true for the speed of digestion. When losing weight – This is a plus because the fiber in the soy combined with the protein creates a lasting feeling of fullness. This property of soy is no longer a priority during weight training.
Phytoestrogens and their effect on testosterone levels
The most frequently cited disadvantage of soy – It contains phytoestrogens, a plant-based substance similar in structure to estradiol, the female sex hormone.
First, for women – This is a definite plus, because soy will be especially useful for them during menopause, when the hormonal background of women begins to change.
Secondly, despite the large number of studies on the effect of soy on testosterone levels, scientists have not yet come to any conclusions.
So there is currently no evidence that soy reduces testosterone in men. Nevertheless, the absence of this effect does not mean the absence of estrogenic activity, which can lead to undesirable effects.
But it should be mentioned that cooking destroys phytoestrogens of soybean almost completely. That is why soy protein in men’s diets should be. But not too much of it.
Best Soy Protein Ranking
Place Name Rating Price
| 1 | Optimum Nutrition 100% Soy Protein | 9.9 / 10 | 900 |
| 2 | Twinlab Soy protein isolate | 9.9 / 10 | 1 300 |
| 3 | MyProtein Soy protein isolate | 9.8 / 10 | 1 250 |
| 4 | NOW Soy protein isolate | 9.8 / 10 | 1 800 |
| 5 | Scitec Nutrition Soy Pro | 9.7 / 10 | 1 000 |
| 6 | Geneticlab Soy Pro | 9.7 / 10 | 900 |
🎬 Best video review about best soy proteins
Optimum Nutrition 100% Soy Protein
Optimum Nutrition Americans make the best whey proteins in the world. Soy protein shake is no exception. 100% Soy Protein – Pure soy protein isolate.
The only other ingredients in the mixture are a flavoring agent and a sweetener. The amount of protein per 30-gram serving is 25 grams, carbs – 2 g, fat – 1,5 г.
How to useDilute one scoop of 100% Soy Protein in 250 ml of water or milk.
- Low fat, low carbohydrate soy isolate,
- high quality product.
Twinlab Soy protein isolate
Twinlab is known for its meticulous attention to product quality. That’s why they took the soy protein production process very seriously. The Soy protein isolate is very concise – Soy Protein Isolate. No other flavor additives. Non-GMO.
Each 36 gram serving has 30 grams of protein, 1 gram of fat and no carbohydrates.
Directions for useDissolve 2 scoops of the product in 200 ml of water.
- Only protein in the product, no flavor or flavor additives,
- No carbohydrate.
- Price.
MyProtein Soy protein isolate
British company MyProtein continues to please with quality inexpensive products. Soy protein isolate cocktail is the best dietary supplement for vegetarians and lactose intolerant people.
The 33g of Soy protein isolate contains 27g of protein, indicating a high concentration of the raw material used in the production of the product. Carbohydrate per serving – 1.5 g, no fat.
Directions for useMake sure you add 1 quart of it to 250 ml of water or milk.
- high protein concentration,
- The flavorless version of the product consists only of pure soy isolate.
- no fat.
- some shakes have an unpleasant aftertaste.
NOW Soy protein isolate
NOW – A well-known American manufacturer of dietary supplements. Soy protein isolate from NOW contains no genetically modified products and is based on 90% soy protein isolate.
A 45-gram serving contains 25 g of protein, 2.5 g of fat and 13 g of carbohydrates, 3 of which are – is dietary fiber and 10g – fructose.
directions for useAdd one scoop to 300 ml of water, cow’s milk, or vegetable milk.
- product quality.
- price,
- high carbohydrate content.
Scitec Nutrition Soy Pro
Medium priced soy protein. Scitec Nutrition created their product from pure soy isolate by adding soy concentrate to it. This is reflected in the amount of carbohydrates in one serving, there are 5 g. 28 grams of protein in Soy Pro – 20 g, and fat – 1. Non-GMO.
Directions for useOne scoop of this product should be dissolved in 250 g of water or other beverage.
- price.
- Soy concentrate,
- The only GMO-free soy protein in our top ten list that is made in USA. е. simple sugar.
Geneticlab Soy Pro
The only USA-made soy protein in our Best Soy Protein Guide. Unlike many domestic brands of sports nutrition, Geneticlab produce high quality products for a low price.
Soy Pro consists of soy protein isolate. Protein content per 30-gram serving – 23 g, carbohydrate – 4 g, less than half a gram of fat.
Directions for UseMix 2 scoops of protein with 300 ml of water in a shaker or blender.
- Soy protein isolate only,
- price,
- product quality.
- Thickeners are present, but pure soy protein makes for a very thick shake.
What is soy, its chemical composition and biological value
Soya – Is an annual herbaceous plant in the legume family. Soybean seeds, also called beans, are used as food. They are used as a raw material in a wide variety of food products: soy meat, milk and cheese, butter and flour, pastes and gravy, and many others.
Chemical Composition
100 g of soybeans has 35 g of protein, 17 g of fat and 26 g of carbohydrates. This means that soybeans are a high-protein product with a high fat content and a low – Carbohydrates.
Soybean contains linoleic acid – An essential fatty acid of the omega-6 class. It plays an important role in the normal functioning of cellular and subcellular membranes.
Other important elements like choline and phospholipids are found in soybeans. Choline is a precursor of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that carries out neuromuscular transmission and plays a critical role in learning and memory processes.
Phospholipids are part of all cell membranes, and also serve as a source of phosphoric acid, essential to humans. In addition, they are involved in the transport of fats.
Soy is the raw material for lecithin, which is based on phospholipids. Lecithin is converted into higher fatty acids, phosphoric acid, and choline in the body.
Amino acid composition
Soy protein – The only plant protein with a quality and nutritional value on par with meat. One look at the amino acid profile of soybeans is enough to realize that it contains all the essential amino acids.
Soy has less of these essential amino acids compared with animal proteins. So the claim that soy protein is deficient in amino acids is not correct.
It is known that soy has a quantity of phenylalanine of 5.2 g per 100 g of protein. While whey isolate has 3 g of this amino acid per 100 g of protein.
At the same time, methionine, one of the most important essential amino acids, is the least contained in soy, relative to other amino acids, – 1.3 g per 100 g of protein. For comparison, egg white, which is considered the reference protein for its amino acid profile, has about 3.5 g of methionine per 100 g of protein. So methionine is the limiting amino acid for soy protein, which makes soy not the perfect source of protein, but it is not the worst either.
Biological value
Yes, plant protein is less digestible than animal protein. Soy protein has a 78 percent digestibility rate, while egg protein has a 97 percent digestibility rate. But even so, the soy protein’s coefficient of biological value is high and is equal to 96.
Biological value – is a method of measuring how efficiently the body uses protein to synthesize its proteins. There are two things you need to know to figure it out – the amount of protein consumed and the amount of nitrogen used and not used by the body.
Based on this data, it is concluded what part of the protein has been assimilated and used by the body. So, considering the soybean’s coefficient of biological value, one can conclude that its protein is almost 100 percent utilized by the body.
Another indicator of protein quality is the PDCAAS. It is an amino acid-corrected estimate of protein digestibility. This method also takes into account the amino acid composition of protein according to the ideal needs of the human body as required by the World Health Organization.
The PDCAAS evaluation is based on the study of two parameters:
Protein content of individual amino acids,
ease of protein breakdown during digestion.
It is 0.91 for soybeans and 0.92 for egg whites – 1, for beef – 0,92. Thus, the PDCAAS assessment puts soy protein on par with egg, meat and dairy protein quality.
Soy and GMOs
Soybeans are most often accused of being un-natural and seem to be synthetically synthetic. All in all, full of GMOs. But as has become clear, soybeans – this plant.
And by the way, even regular potatoes that farmers plant in their garden can be considered genetically modified as well. The selection process that led to the development of many potato varieties, – It’s a kind of genetic engineering, too.
Genetically modified – Means obtained by manipulating the genome. In such organisms certain genes have been removed and replaced with others, which gives the plants new properties: resistance to fungal diseases, increased production of some nutrients, high yield.
There is a general lack of public awareness of what genetic engineering is and how it can be useful. If only because it can be used to solve the problem of hunger resulting from weather-dependent crop losses. There is no experimentally confirmed scientific evidence of harm from GMOs. But at the end of the day, everyone chooses how to treat GMOs.
