Avaliação do grau de hidrólise e da rotulagem de suplementos proteicos à base de whey protein

Abstract

In search of a better sports performance and body esthetics, consumers have spurred the growth of the food supplements market, mainly, the protein source in the intact and also hydrolyzed form. On the other hand, studies have shown nonconformities on the requirements regulated by current legislation regarding the labelling of these products, making quality analyses a topic of extreme importance. Thus, this study aimed at analyzing whey protein supplements regarding the presence of intact protein and the degree of hydrolysis, as well as their labeling adequacy assessment. For this, 9 brands of whey protein supplements available in the local market were analyzed. The protein content was evaluated by the Kjeldahl method and the degree of hydrolysis was determined by means of the relationship between α-amino nitrogen and total nitrogen. For checking the labelling suitability a check list was prepared so as to comply with the current legislation. Among the assessed brands, it was observed that 88% of them presented at least one type of non-compliance concerning labelling. Regarding the protein content, a brand presented below (-35.08%) the tolerance permitted by the legislation. In the verification of the degree of hydrolysis, significant differences were found (6.78 to 39.89%) among the tested brands. The results point to the need and importance of continuous monitoring on the labels of this type of product as well as the mandatory specification of degree of hydrolysis due to the variations presented by the products.