The very Protein Powder on your kitchen counter could be poisoning your body. Read below to find out your Protein Powder’s truth. 

A recent independent study published in the peer-reviewed journal “Medicine”, covered by “The Print”, shed light on the quality and accuracy of popular protein powders sold in India. 

Led by Dr. Cyriac Abby Philips and Paras Chopra, the study analysed 36 protein supplements, which revealed shocking findings in the supplements. And Origin Nutrition was one of the jars on the shelves that caught their attention. And what we claimed on our labels, reflected in their reports. Gaining us our title, India’s Cleanest Vegan Plant-Protein.

So What Did the Study Find?

Origin Protein - Crowned the Best Vegan Plant-Protein:

The reports came out clean because for us, Clean isn’t a trend, it's the foundation. Our products undergo independent testing and are certified by esteemed third-party organisations, including Informed Choice UK, FSSAI, GMP, and ISO. 

• TRANSPARENT APPROACH

Origin stands for uncompromising purity, safety, and performance. Strict quality protocols and full transparency guide every stage from sourcing to the final product. With an in-house manufacturing unit, quality is consistently monitored and maintained. 

• QUALITY AND SAFETY

INFORMED choice certification. A meticulous testing program that Origin boldly embraces for all of our tests. Random samples are tested regularly by Informed Choice to ensure consistency and transparency.

• CLEAN SOURCING

Origin spares no expense in sourcing the finest European golden peas, a statement of dedication to clean nutrition.

A Deeper Dive on the Study: 

Protein Content Analysis:

Link to the report: https://links.lww.com/MD/M109

• 9 products had less than 40% detected protein content.

• 25 supplements (69.4%) were mislabeled in protein content, with deficits ranging from <10% to >50%.

• Some brands had more protein than labelled, indicating either high-quality protein sources or potential “protein or amino spiking” with cheaper components like glycine and taurine.]

• 5 out of 36 (13.9%) samples were contaminated with aflatoxins.

• Out of the 5, 2 products had very high aflatoxin levels (above 10 μg/kg)\

• 3 samples (8.3%) showed contamination with trace amounts of pesticide residues.

• One product contained fenobucarb (0.061 mg/kg), another contained thiamethoxam (0.017 mg/kg), and the third product was contaminated with azoxystrobin (0.022 mg/kg) and dimethomorph (0.013 mg/kg).

 

• None of the protein powders contained mercury or thallium.

• Arsenic was detected in 5 samples (13.9%).

• Cadmium was found in 10 samples (27.8%).

• Lead was present in 27 samples (75%).

• Copper was detected in 34 samples (94.4%), with varying levels (1.49 mg/kg to 30.61 mg/kg), exceeding the recommended daily intake of 900 μg/day for adults.

Steroids Analysis: Complete organic and inorganic components Analysis: No synthetic steroids or hormonal agents found in any products. GC-MS scan identified multiple organic and inorganic compounds.   GC-MS (Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry) analysis showed a wide variety of components in different protein supplements. Most detected compounds included cycloheptatriene, spiroheptadiene, and acetone. The GC-MS analysis revealed a wide range of components present in the protein supplements,  Other commonly found compounds were acetic acid, dichloromethane, ammonium acetate, toluene, and trichloromethane. All significant components were identified as having a match factor of over 70% for steroid presence. Analysis also showed various industrial solvents like alcohols, phenols, aldehydes, ketones, and esters.

The complete analytical output featuring all significant (>70% match factor) identified components in the protein formulations is shown in https://links.lww.com/MD/M107  

Quick Sum-Up:

The anonymous Citizens’ Protein Project study, led by Dr. Abby Philips and his independent team, lab tested over 36 Protein Powders to double-check their labels. Origin Nutrition? Didn’t have anything to hide. And so was crowned the Best Vegan Protein. Not all protein is created equal. Choose the ones that are clean, certified, and contain what it says.