Rice Protein

About Rice Protein

A United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) food search reveals that cooked long-grain brown rice contains 2.74% protein, which is quite a difference from the 80% protein content found in rice protein powders today. This highlights the advancements in the manufacturing and processing of this popular worldwide dietary supplement. Gone are the days when rice protein powders were gritty and unpalatable. Today, rice protein powders are smooth and quite neutral in flavour, making them easy to flavour and taste fantasitc. Many rice protein products contain other plant-based protein sources, such as pea protein, to improve palatability and strengthen the amino acid profile.

Clinical research has indicated that rice protein is a medium-absorption protein, indicating that it takes a moderate amount of time to digest and absorb the amino acids. Examples of other absorption times are whey protein isolate and concentrates, which are fast absorption, and casein products, which are typically slow absorption. Based on this, rice protein powder may be used any time of the day, whether it's before bed with casein protein or post-workout to support recovery. Plant protein powders tend to be slightly slower absorption than whey protein due to their content of naturally ocurring fibre. However, they are suitable for post-workout recovery.

In terms of quality, it is important to compare the essential amino acid values to human requirements, not only in quantity but in their proportions to each other. The human body is sensitive to the amount and ratios of amino acids in food or drink. With regards to rice protein powder containing 80.5% protein, 41.3% of that figure is essential amino acids. Compare this to a whey protein concentrate and isolate blend with a protein percentage of 78.1%, which contains an essential amino acid content of 36.6%. This means that Rice Protein is certainly premium quality, at least in terms of its total essential amino acid values.