BPI Sports Presents: How Protein is Made and TAKE PRIDE Video!

When you are putting your best into your training, you should be getting the best from your nutrition, and this includes supplements. Whether it’s your protein powder or any other nutritional product you put in your body, you deserve to know with 100% accuracy that what you see stated on the label is exactly what is in the bottle.
In this article, we give you an inside look at how we make our quality protein. It’s one way to show you we have nothing to hide, and that we’re committed to helping you reach your goals by providing the supplements you deserve.

What is Whey Protein?

Whey is a by-product of the cheese production process. After the solids are strained from milk, the pure liquid whey is what remains. That pure liquid whey is either cold filtered or put through an ion exchange filtration method in order to transform the liquid whey into powdered whey protein. Whey protein is a quality protein that is absorbed quickly in the body.

SOURCING

From Farm to Tub
At BPI, all our whey is sourced from milk that comes from a family dairy farm in Wisconsin. The consistency of the raw materials is what helps us maintain such a high standard for quality. It is important to us that our whey comes from a sustainable farm where the cows are treated ethically and kept in “happy” conditions.
Do Happy Cows Really Make Better Milk?
This isn’t just something we say in our videos to make people smile, this is a real scientific fact. According to a 2016 study, daily infusions of serotonin were shown to increase calcium levels in the milk of cows. Serotonin is the naturally-occurring chemical in the brain associated with feelings of happiness.¹

FILTRATION

BPI’s Cold Filtration vs. Ion Exchange Filtration
The pure liquid whey is transported from the cheese manufacturer to a protein manufacturing facility, where it is pasteurized, then filtered. There are essentially two choices available for filtering whey: cold filtration and ion exchange filtration.
Cold filtration is time consuming and expensive, but it results in a purer form of whey protein – free of harsh chemical additives and with all its naturally occurring micronutrients intact. To get just one 5 lbs. container of finished whey protein powder, it takes 720 lbs. of raw liquid whey. The cold filtration process starts by sending the raw product through miles of stainless steel tubing fitted with ceramic filters. This natural, cold-temperature filtration system separates the protein from the fats and the lactose, while adding no harsh chemicals and taking away none of the nutrients. BPI Sports’ final product is 90% whey isolate powder. The quality is verified for protein content before being bagged in its raw form, blended into finished protein powder and put into sanitized tubs.
Ion exchange filtration costs companies five times less than the cold filtration process but it does have substantial drawbacks. Ion exchange reduces micronutrients and denatures the protein. The chemical reagents used, like hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide, denatures the protein and degrades amino acids and micronutrients.

QUALITY ASSURANCE FOR QUALITY PROTEIN

Quality Testing vs. The ChromaDex® Seal
“Testing” is a buzz word and just one component of a true quality assurance program. When a company claims a product has been tested, it does not mean that the final product is of high quality or good manufacturing practice (cGMP) compliant. In contrast, having the ChromaDex® Quality Verified Seal on your product is like winning an Olympic gold medal for quality. It is internationally renowned and respected. ChromaDex® conducts quality tests during each critical stage of manufacture and packaging of BPI proteins. Testing representative samples of both raw materials and finished products throughout the manufacturing process ensures the authenticity, consistency and quality of ingredients.

CERTIFICATION

Third-party Verification by ChromaDex®
ChromaDex® uses a meticulous inspection program and analytical testing that covers FDA and cGMP, as well as quality assurance and quality control testing. ChromaDex® ensures each product that goes through the verification program is in fact 100% verified for everything that is listed on the label.

1. cGMP Compliance: This step audits the manufacturing facilities and process used to create each individual product.
2. Quality Assurance (QA) Support: A critical review of the collected data by an expert QA team to support cGMP compliance.
3. Quality Control Testing: Vital for complete verification, this step tests for contaminants including heavy metals, residual solvents and microbials.
4. Regulatory Review: This is a detailed analytical review of all product labels for ingredients, claims, safety and toxicology.

TRUE TRANSPARENCY

From Farm, to Shelf, to You
When the process is tightly controlled, the materials are rigorously tested and the results are independently verified, you end up with a product worthy of your trust. At BPI, the gold ChromaDex® seal represents more than just a badge of quality. It symbolizes our commitment to you. We will always go the extra mile to bring you the best quality protein products and supplements to support your health and fitness goals.

_{1 Samantha R. Weaver et al. 2016. Elevation of circulating serotonin improves calcium dynamics in the peripartum dairy cow. J. Endocrinol. 230: 105-123; doi: 10.1530/joe-16-0038}