PVL Whey Gourmet Review

Whey Gourmet Protein Supplement

I'm always trying out different protein powders, and trying new whey supplements. For the large amount of protein supplements I consume, there's a few mainstay protein supplements I use such as optimum 100% Whey, designer whey, syntrax nectar protein, muscle milk, and a few others. Aside from these, I generally pickup and try various different protein supplements - some I like and will buy them again, others I try them once, and probably will not ever buy it again.

Obviously, protein quality is a major consideration, and the taste becomes one of the key factors affecting buying decisions. For the popular proteins, they're popular and widely used for a reason - they taste good. In fact, some of them taste so good, I just can't get enough! Protein powders such as Designer Whey Isolate Orange Mango, or Syntrax Nectar Fuzzy Navel are simply amazing flavors that I wish I could buy in 5lb tubs, because the 2 pounders simply don't last long enough.

PVL Whey Gourmet Protein Supplement

I purchased a 2lb tub of PVL Whey Gourmet protein supplement - the name certainly sounded pretty good, so I decided to give it a try, and picked up a 2lb tub of the Creamy Orangesicle Swirl flavor. Certainly, with my affinity for orange based flavors (ie. Designer orange mango, Dymatize Elite Orange), I decided that I can't go too wrong with the orange flavor. After all my years of using protein supplements, I've found that I'm enjoying fruit based protein flavors more and more compared to the standard chocolate and plain vanilla flavors.

PVL Whey Gourmet is made by PVL Nutrients LTD., a canadian based supplement maker located in the BC Province. Whey Gourmet is a whey protein isolate supplement containing 2 blends of whey isolates - a CFM (cross flow microfiltration protein), and a WPI-95 (whey protein isolate 95, simply meaning 95% protein reported on an "as-is" basis). Below is a list of Whey Gourmet ingredients:

PVL Whey Gourmet Ingredients
Serving Size1 Scoop (31g)
Servings Per Container30
Calories 120
Fat 2g
Saturated 0.5g
+ Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 35mg
Sodium 130mg
Potassium 120mg
Carbohydrates 4g
Fiber 1g
Sugar 2g
Modified Food Starch 1g
Protein 23g
Vitamin A 0
Vitamin C 18
Calcium 150
Iron 0%

Other Ingredients
Isoplete™ Pre-Blend (Whey Protein Isolate Blend [CFM And 95%], Whey Peptide Protein Concentrates), Glutapure™ PPG Pre-Blend (Partially Hydrolysed Wheat Protein And Calcium Alpha-Ketoglutarate), Natural And Artificial Flavours, Nitriplete™ Pre-Blend (Carboxymethyl Cellulose, Lecithin, Guar Gum), Modified Corn Starch, Sucralose, Acesulfame-Potassium, Ascorbic Acid, Salt

Whey Protein Isolate

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. PVL Whey Gourmet is a whey protein isolate supplement.

There are literally hundreds (if not thousands) of studies that you can easily find demonstrating the many stated benefits of whey protein. We have summarized one study below:

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.

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]

Cross Flow Microfiltration Whey Protein

PVL Whey Gourmet is a whey protein isolate supplement, with some whey peptides mixed in. Cross Flow Microfiltration (CFM) is a method used in producing whey isolates. The CFM process uses natural ceramic filters to separate whey protein from the protein solution. Undesirable components such as fat and lactose are filtered out. The particles are separated based on their molecular size and shape.

The key advantage of this processing method includes:

minimal denaturing of protein
preserved protein micro fractions
better amino acid profile
separation of protein without the use of heat or chemicals
CFM whey protein contains more calcium and less sodium
does not damage the many immune boosting components (ie: alpha lactalbumin, immunoglobulins, and GMPs)
CFM whey has the highest level of undenatured protein available

PVL Whey Gourmet Review

I like to try various products, and quite often, randomly purchase products that I've never used before to test them out. This was the case with PVL Whey Gourmet - this was my first time testing it out. As far as protein quality, it's definitely a good protein consisting of whey protein isolates (CFM and WPI-95) with some whey peptides added in.

As far as taste goes, for me, it was about average. Amongst the many whey isolate proteins on the market, the taste was not a stand out in any way, shape, or form. Mind you though, I've only tried the Creamy Orangesicle Swirl flavor, so my review of PVL Whey Gourmet here is limited only to that flavor. I have not tried the other flavors which include: PB chocolate, vanilla, cookies & cream, blueberry, milk chocolate, and strawberry banana. Currently, I do not have plans to try the other flavors, simply because there are other products that taste so much better - of course, this is simply a matter of personal opinion and preference.

Overall, the orange swirl flavor tasted decent. It makes a pleasant, light tasting shake - but it was rather thick, even with just water. I'd give it a 8/10 for the taste, not considering other factors. The protein also mixed easily, and I never had any clumping issues. However, one major caveat is that the PVL Whey Gourmet is extremely foamy! I can't say for other flavors, but for the orange swirl flavor, it was a major issue for me. After mixing in a shaker, there's a very thick layer of foam that just doesn't seem to dissipate.

Even after leaving my shake sitting around for 5 to 10 minutes, the foam is still there, and I found that to be very frustrating, because I do not enjoy drinking protein foam. I've tried a lot of protein products, some foam more than others, but in most cases, the foam subsides after you let the drink sit for awhile. But that doesn't seem to be the case for Whey Gourmet. This is the major reason why I probably will not be testing out the other flavors. Of course, you could add a little extra liquid to reduce the foaming, but that would only dilute the taste, which is quite light tasting to begin with. Other than the foam, I have no other bones to pick with PVL Whey Gourmet. If you have no problems with protein foam, and are looking for a good quality protein, consider giving PVL Whey Gourmet a try. But if you're like me, and have issues with protein shake foam, then perhaps you might consider trying other protein supplements instead.

Designer Whey Review
Syntrax Nectar Review
Dymatize Elite Whey Review
Optimum 100% Whey Review
Muscle Milk Review

1. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2006 Oct;16
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.

April 2009