By Jennie Monfried
The plant based protein market is booming and expected to reach $1 billion (US) by 2022. Consumers believe that consuming plant-based protein sources improves their overall health and nutrition as well as helps to manage their weight. For many, looking for protein supplements at the grocery store or online can be very overwhelming, and with so many different brands, types, blends, names… how can anyone keep up? And to make things more confusing, some of the plant-based proteins are sprouted. What the heck is a sprouted protein?
Sprouting a plant-based protein is an easy three-step process that improves the digestibility of the product through breaking down complex compounds and allowing consumers to absorb more of its vitamins and minerals. Before the sprouting process begins, the protein source must be chosen. This source could be grains such as rice or wheat, legumes such as peas or soybeans, nuts such as almonds or walnuts, or seeds such as chia or pumpkin. The first step to sprouting is steeping, in which the plant-based protein source is soaked in water and then drained several times, to prepare it for germination. Step two is germination, in which the protein source is held in special vessels that promote sprout formation . The final step is drying, where the protein source gets dried prior to it being made into a protein powder.
So now we know the process, but what exactly is a sprout? A sprout is a shoot that grows from a germinated seed, essentially the beginning of plant growth. The sprouting process improves the digestibility of the protein source because during the sprouting process, complex starches are broken down, making the protein easier for people to digest, which otherwise could lead to gas and bloating . Also, during the sprouting process, enzymes (special molecules that speed up reactions) are released to help better digest the plant-based protein.
A greater absorption of vitamins and minerals occur by sprouting because of the decrease in anti-nutrients. Anti-nutrients are compounds from plants that reduce the absorption of good nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals. Many of the anti-nutrients are water-soluble, and thus dissolve when the plant-based protein is soaked, during the first step of sprouting. Remaining anti-nutrients, such as phytate, are broken down during germination. Phytate is considered an anti-nutritional factor because it binds to important minerals (like calcium) and slows their absorption. The breakdown of anti-nutritional factors is due to the changes (such as the sprout forming) that take place in the protein source, leading to the degradation of anti-nutrients.
So the lowdown is: sprouted, plant-based protein powders are in fact more beneficial for consumers. Plant-based, protein powder blends provide all essential amino acids (building blocks of protein), making a complete protein source. This is important because plant based protein sources usually lack one or more essential amino acids, whereas animal sources of protein provide all essential amino acids.
By sprouting the plant-based protein source, we get more bang for our buck with the SPROUT! Not only that but, the sprouting process increases digestibility and absorption of vitamins and minerals. So next time you shop for protein powder, you know the exact kind to get!
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