Designer Whey Protein Isolate Review

Want to read a short version?

Amazing taste, easy to mix, and wow!

Long version:

I've been a long time user of Designer whey protein products - long enough to not remember when I first started using it. =) However, over the past many years, I've always used their popular designer whey, and never really used their premium whey isolate blend - until recently, that is. I got my hands on two 12oz containers of their premium whey isolate blend (fruitwell) when Next Proteins contacted me requesting a review. Along with some other designer whey products, I received an orange mango flavor and a pomegranate fruit flavor.

Disclaimer: For full disclosure, I must mention that I was contacted by Next Proteins regarding their product line and the updates and changes that have been made. A request was made to update previous reviews, and I was happy to oblige. Please note, however, no payment or compensation was received in any way, and you can be sure that this review, like all other reviews on the site, are free from bias and free from manufacturer influence. I did receive the 12.7oz containers of each of the flavors so that I can review them.

Whey Protein Isolate Benefits

There are several categories of protein powders on the market, depending on what purpose you are using them for. These include whey protein concentrates, whey isolates, casein, egg protein, soy, protein blends, and etc... Pure whey powders are generally best used post workout for quick absorption, while casein and protein blends are best used during other times in the day and before bed time. While both whey protein concentrate and isolate are best used for post workout, there are some differences between them - mainly quality and price, and these differences arise from their processing methods used. You can read about whey protein processing more below:

Whey protein processing - ion exchange
Whey protein processing - CFM and Hydrolyzed Whey

Generally, a whey protein with more than 90% protein content is considered a whey protein isolate (WPI). Anything less than that is a whey protein concentrate. Because of the higher costs of production, WPI typically cost more than the whey concentrates. The major advantages of whey isolates is that WPI contain more protein, less fat, and less lactose.

The effects of whey protein isolate was studied in a clinical trial performed at the Center for Aging, Rehabilitation, Exercise and Sport (CARES) in Australia. This study examined the effects of supplementation with two proteins, hydrolyzed whey isolate (WI) and casein (C), on strength, body composition, and plasma glutamine levels during a 10 week, supervised resistance training program. In a double-blind setup, 13 male, recreational bodybuilders supplemented their normal diet with either WI or C (1.5 g/kg body weight per day) for the duration of the program.

Strength was assessed by 1-RM in three exercises (barbell bench press, squat, and cable pull-down). Body composition was assessed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Plasma glutamine levels were determined by the enzymatic method with spectrophotometric detection. All assessments occurred in the week before and the week following 10 weeks of training. The study found that the whey isolate group achieved a significantly greater gain in lean mass than the casein group (5.0kg vs. 0.8kg for WI and C, respectively). The whey isolate group also had a significant change in fat mass (- 1.5kg) compared to the casein group (+ 0.2kg). The whey protein isolate group also had significantly greater gains in strength compared to the casein group. [1]

Designer Whey Premium Whey Isolate Ingredients

Serving Size 29g
Calories 110
Calories from Fat 20
Total Carbohydrate 4g
Total Fat 2g
Protein 20g
Cholesterol 4mg
Vitamin B6 (as Pyridoxine) 2.16mg
Vitamin C (as Ascorbic Acid) 120mg
Thiamine (as Thiamine Mononitrate) 1.60mg
Magnesium (as Mg Aspartate, Oxide) 100mg
Pantothenic Acid (as Ca Pantothenate) 9.68mg
Phosphorus (from Whey and as Ca Phosphate) 90mg
Potassium 150mg
Riboflavin (as riboflavin) 1.64mg
Sodium 50mg
Zinc (as Zinc Aspartate) 6mg
Calcium (from Whey and as Ca Phosphate) 400mg

Although Designer Whey Premium Whey Isolate is a whey protein isolate product, one caveat I should mention is that it does not appear to be a pure whey protein isolate powder. Reading the product label carefully, it contains: whey protein isolate, hydrolyzed whey protein concentrate, and whey protein concentrate. So, it is apparent, that the Premium Whey Isolate also contains some whey protein concentrates, albeit in small quantities - that would be my assumption. Why they decided to include some WPC is beyond me, perhaps to reduce production costs? My guess is as good as yours. Despite this, I'm hooked on the Designer Whey Premium Isolate.

As mentioned earlier, I received two containers of the Designer whey isolate - one of each flavor including orange mango, and Pomegranate Fruit.

Orange mango - simply amazing taste! It actually smells like very sweet and ripe peach instead of orange or mango - who knows, maybe that's what the combined smell of orange and mango smells like. Either way, it smells great. But it tastes even better!

The thought that went through my head on my first sip, is that it's absolutely delicious. Tastes smooth on the tongue and goes down easily, and it just makes you want more and more. Syntrax nectar (fuzzy navel) is one of my all time favorites when it comes to good tasting protein drinks, but I think this new orange mango flavor from designer protein even beats that by a small margin.

The protein powder mixes very easily, and is very smooth after mixing. One minor issue I had is there is a little bit of settlement at the bottom. But that's a minor issue that you can easily overlook considering how good it tastes. It's rather sweet, so I typically use slightly more water than the recommended amount on the label, but this would come down to personal preference.

Pomegranate Fruit - this flavor has a light "cherry-like" sweet smell. It tastes quite sweet, and also very good. I tend to add some extra water to dilute the taste slightly as I find it just slightly sweeter than my liking. Although the pomegranate fruit also tastes good, it is not quite as good as the orange mango flavor which was fantastic. This flavor also mixes quite easily, but like the orange mango flavor, it has a bit of clumping and settlement at the bottom. Not really an issue, as long as you mix it well while drinking it.

>> Click here to order Designer Whey Protein

1. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2006 Oct;16(5):494-509.
The effect of whey isolate and resistance training on strength, body composition, and plasma glutamine.
Cribb PJ, Williams AD, Carey MF, Hayes A.
Exercise Metabolism Unit, Center for Ageing, Rehabilitation, Exercise and Sport (CARES), Australia.

May 2009