Protein: Mixing with hot liquids
Is it safe to mix protein powders with hot liquids like coffee? I did this once a while back and it turned into a rubbery blob that sat on top of the coffee. I tried to look it up but there wasn't much available (at the time anyway, 2007). What I found was claims that the protein breaks down and can become toxic. But I read about body builders who bake with protein powders all the time.
Is it safe to mix protein powders with hot liquids? Does it destroy the value of the protein? Does it matter if the powder contains maltodextrin?
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Don't mix hot liquid with protein powder, from my experience it "cooks" and or becomes very very messy and separates. What I have found to be very tasty is mixing room temperature coffee with chocolate protein powder.
Bit gross I know but I just add fats to my morning coffee mix
It goes a little something like this.
Strong coffee, brews for 10/15 mins (thus cools a bit in the cafetière)
In to a blender I add
15 g organic grass-fed butter
1 tbs MCT oil
1tbs coconut oil
Organic whey protein 93% 10/20 g
10g collagen protein
Dash of cinnomen
Blitz hard for a minute and you get a wonderful frothy late. Fats protect the protein from going clumpy.
You get serious macros in and tonnes of vitamin k from the butter, which if you are in northern hemisphere in winter it is perfect if you are supplementing bit d3.
The important thing here is high quality organic products. It is this vital input that dictates bioavailability, stability and flavour.
Like any other item that cooks, protein will cook when its temperature goes over 130?. When mixing with any hot items. One should add a little at a time till you have gotten all of the ingredients into the hot mixture, if you see clumping your mixture is too hot and should allow to cool to a lower temp. Been doing it for years with my 21g of powdered protein every morning, chocolate, vanilla and sometimes I mix the together. An excellent start to a good morning.
I asked a chemistry professor who has actually made his own protein powder. He said that the composition of the egg won't turn into something nasty — it stays the same and to go ahead and put the egg powder into my morning coffee. My only issue now is that the powder cooks in the cup!
I use fit frappe protein powder. It is specifically made to add to hot water (I add one scoop to my morning coffee, delish). Their FAQ states:
Does heating up Fit Frappé affect the protein?
Proteins are chains of large molecules made up of amino acids in different sequences. Denaturation of protein through such methods like heat, acid, or physical agitation is breaking the bonds between the amino acids. It is the amino acids that provide the nutritional benefits. Breaking the bonds can actually be beneficial because the body can access/use the amino acids much quicker than having the stomach acids digest or denature the protein.
For example, after a workout, some consume protein to build back the lean muscle mass lost during the workout. Consuming proteins that have been denatured is beneficial because the body will use/absorb the amino acids quicker.
I did it for the first time and it worked perfect.
1 scoop chocolate whey into a glass.
Add a bit of milk and water to blend.1/2 cup maybe? Enough that I was going to drink it so it was smooth but instead I added it to my coffee.
Voila! No added milk needed as it cooled the coffee off perfect.
Enjoy!
If the protein powder is added to hot liquid, it won't mix and it does release a gas as it cooks. I've tried it before in one of those covered shakers with a whisk ball built in. Hot protein mess spewed all over the counter as the cap flew off due to the added pressure.
Now, you can apply the same approach that chefs use to flavor their meringues with chocolate. A meringue is essentially egg white (protein) beaten until it is stiff. The technique is called tempering. Basically you blend in the heated substance (like melted chocolate) a little at a time into the the meringue.
If you want a hot protein drink using coffee (a very delicious combo):
Mix the protein so that it is liquid at room temperature (only use enough liquid to dissolve the protein)
Slowly add the coffee to the mixture until the mix is the right balance
Heat if necessary in the microwave when you are done
An alternative approach is to cool the coffee to room temperature and mix the protein at that time. Heat it back up when you are done.
I personally prefer a chocolate/coffee/protein smoothie which is cold. You can't really taste the protein in there at all, and it tastes like you are being decadent.
There are protein powders made for heated liquids. I drink bariatric advantage hot chocolate but I know there are tons of unflavored powders for hot liquid.
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