Caseinates in Action

The right casein will depend on your application and desired functional properties. When minerals are added to caseins to create caseinates, interactions occur that change how the protein behaves, affecting factors like solubility, heat stability and digestion rate. As a result, each type offers unique functional and nutritional properties that determines their suitability for different applications.
For instance, calcium caseinate is the most versatile option. It’s high in calcium, neutral in taste and suitable across various formats from beverages to bars and bakery products. Whereas sodium caseinate offers faster digestion, making it ideal for pre-workout applications. Then there’s specialised caseinates which use minerals like potassium, ammonium and magnesium for dietary-specific formulations or applications with unique nutritional requirements, such as low-sodium or magnesium-fortified products.
To achieve diverse functional properties, caseinates can also be dried in different ways. Spray dried calcium caseinates offer excellent solubility and clean flavour profiles, making them suitable for high-protein beverages and applications needing smooth, stable dispersions. For applications requiring a richer, more developed flavour profile, calcium caseinates can be roller dried.

Casein protein contains all nine EAAs needed to make proteins found in the human body. Also known as indispensable amino acids, EAAs cannot be synthesised from metabolic intermediates by humans, and must therefore be supplied from our external diet. For muscle protein synthesis to occur, sufficient levels of all EAAs must be present. When one essential amino acid is limited or not available, new tissue cannot be completely built.

Processing and storage can impact the bioavailability (the amount a substance that is absorbed into the bloodstream and therefore available for the body to use) of EAAs, particularly lysine. In fact, some high-protein products available today experience protein glycation during processing and storage. This impacts the availability of amino acids for protein synthesis – an important factor in many nutritional products aimed at muscle development and maintenance.

Krause, René, Kerstin Knoll, and Thomas Henle. “Studies on the formation of furosine and pyridosine during acid hydrolysis of different Amadori products of lysine.” European Food Research and Technology 216.4 (2003): 277-283.
Pahm, Ameer A., Carsten Pedersen, and Hans H. Stein. “Application of the reactive lysine procedure to estimate lysine digestibility in distillers dried grains with solubles fed to growing pigs.” Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 56.20 (2008): 9441-9446.
Xiao, Chao-Wu, et al. “L-Lysine supplementation affects dietary protein quality and growth and serum amino acid concentrations in rats.” Scientific Reports 13.1 (2023): 19943.



Fortunately, our caseinates have naturally low lactose content, which significantly reduces the risk of glycation. This means more bioavailable lysine and better protein quality in finished products.

Thanks to the slow-digesting properties of casein, it’s ideal for supporting prolonged muscle recovery, especially overnight. This opens the door to an overlooked innovation opportunity – nighttime recovery. Think pre-bed protein drinks like teas or hot chocolates with sleep-supporting ingredients or high-protein evening desserts like mousses and puddings.