Analysis of Optimum Nutrition's Protein Whey supplement

Protein Whey is the supposedly low-cost protein supplement from the renowned brand, Optimum Nutrition.

For those who don't know, Optimum Nutrition is the brand responsible for the most famous whey protein supplement, Gold Standard, winner of several awards.

Protein Whey presents itself as an apparently more economical supplement whey protein, and theoretically with good quality, taking into account the brand's reputation.

In fact, while Gold Standard is truly a top supplement, Protein Whey from the same brand disappoints in every way. Even in the price.

The version analyzed is the 1.7kg Vanilla version.

Find out more in the analysis below.

Ingredients

The ingredients used in this product are simple, and are limited to protein(s), and the normal flavorings and thickeners used in flavored whey supplements.

The protein sources used in Protein Whey are Whey Concentrate and Whey Isolate.

While in Gold Standard the main protein source is Whey Isolate, in this supplement it is Whey Concentrate. Furthermore, they do not contain Hydrolyzed Whey as in the brand's other supplements, nor digestive enzymes.

Looking at the ingredients, it looks like a light version of Gold Standard.

Nutritional value

The nutritional values presented and used for analysis are those of the vanilla version.

	Dose	%
Proteins	22g	68.75%
Carbohydrates	3.4g	10.63%
Fats	2.2g	6.88%

 

Each dose consists of a 32g scoop that contains 22g of protein, which means that this supplement has a protein content of 68.75%, a value considered low for a whey protein supplement.

Furthermore, the carbohydrate values are around 11% and the fats are 7%, which although not high for a concentrated whey, are not low either, especially the carbohydrates.

We will place this supplement alongside Gold Standard from the same brand, and also alongside other whey protein supplements already analyzed here in the website.

 

	ON Protein Whey	ON Gold Standard	Prozis Real Whey	Myprotein Impact Whey	Scitec Whey Professional
Proteins	68.75%	81.6%	80%	80%	73.3%
Carbohydrates	10.63%	6.8%	10.4%	4.9%	7%
Fats	6.88%	3.4%	6%	7.3%	5.67%

 

O Gold Standard It has the highest protein values and the lowest fat values, which confirms its excellent quality.

Already the Impact Whey from Myprotein and the Prozis Real Whey they achieve practically the same protein value, with 80% each.

Finally, the Whey Professional from Scitec although it is significantly far from the three previous supplements in terms of protein concentration, it still manages to stay ahead of ON's Protein Whey, which is significantly far from the good supplements in this category.

Unfortunately, Optimum Nutrition does not present the aminogram for this supplement, but the nutritional value of this supplement shows that it leaves a little to be desired.

Price

The price used to carry out the analysis was that charged by the Prozis store.

Doses	53
Cost per dose	0.75?
Cost per 100g protein	3.41?
Total cost	39.90?

 

It would be expected that Protein Whey would have an affordable and low price, especially in comparison to Gold Standard, which despite its excellent quality, is excessively expensive.

What happens unfortunately is not quite like that.

[toggle title=”What is the cost per 100g of protein?” state=”close” ]The cost per 100g of protein is the amount you pay not for 100g of product/supplement, but the amount you pay for 100g of pure protein.

Example

Whey Protein in every 100g of powder, only 68,75% are pure protein.

To have 100g of protein in Protein Whey you need 145.45g of powder to reach the real 100g of protein.

This metric is the best way to analyze the price of a protein supplement, as it is not subject to pre-established doses by brands and standardizes the cost across all protein supplements.[/toggle]

Despite its total cost being 39.90€, this supplement contains only 1.7kg of product, that is, around 600g less compared to the Gold Standard from the same brand.

Let's once again compare this supplement with others in the same category to see where this Whey Protein fits in terms of price.

	Whey Protein	Gold Standard	Real Whey	Impact Whey	Whey Pro
Doses	53	77	80	100	78
Cost/dose	0.75?	0.75?	0.34?	0.36?	0.67?
Cost/100g Prot	3.41?	3.12?	1.75?	1.81?	3.07?
Total cost	39.90?	58?	27.99?	36.39?	52.99?

 

As incredible as it may seem, Protein Whey is the supplement with the fewest doses, a cost per dose similar to Gold Standard and the most expensive, significantly, when looking at the price paid for each 100g of pure protein.

At full price, it is cheaper than the Gold Standard and than the Whey Professional from Scitec Nutrition, but more expensive than Impact Whey from Myprotein, and the Prozis Real Whey.

At the end of the day, the cost per 100g of pure protein is the most important variable when talking about price, and in this case, Protein Whey is a bad choice.

Where to buy?

You can find Protein Whey from Optimum Nutrition available here and you can still use the code AFFJA-10 to get you 10% discount.

Verdict

Protein Whey is a supplement that leaves a lot to be desired, not only in terms of quality, but also in terms of price.

The protein sources used are good, but with only 68,75% of protein content, and a value of 3.41? for every 100g of pure protein, you can easily get better Whey supplements, both in terms of quality and price.

Basically, it is a supplement that seems cheaper simply because it contains less quantity, and Optimum Nutrition uses its name to sell a product that does not impress.

If you are looking for a whey supplement, you will find it here various analyzes and here a ranking of the best whey supplements.