REVIEW - OPTIMUM NUTRITION OPTIMUM NUTRITION PLATINUM HYDROWHEY REVIEW

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RECOMMENDED RETAIL PRICE AUD$159.95

SUMMARY

OUR REVIEW

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Extending on their ever popular protein line, Optimum Nutrition introduces Platinum Hydrowhey, Optimum’s fastest and purest form of whey protein to date. The Hydrowhey name refers the make-up of its protein, 100% of which are derived from Hydrolyzed whey protein isolates. Hydrolyzing breaks larger proteins down into smaller molecules, this allows the protein to enter your system more easily leading to a faster delivery and absorption to muscle tissues, the result a more effective whey protein.

Taste

Optimum nutrition goes back to basics with Hydrowhey offering just three flavours ‘velocity vanilla’, ‘turbo chocolate’ and ‘supercharged strawberry’. One drawback with all hydrolysed proteins is the bitter taste associated with the pure protein, to compensate the manufactures attempt to mask the taste through natural and artificial flavouring and sweeteners. Prefixes aside, in the case of the vanilla I think Optimum Nutrition has overdone the sweetness a little too much, it’s a shame as I was a big fan of the vanilla in their 100% Gold Standard line, but this tasted much sweeter and almost a bit sickly, however if you have a bit of a sweet tooth I can see vanilla might be quite appealing.  Chocolate on the other hand was spot on and easily the best flavour of the three, if you are a fan of either of the chocolate flavours in the Gold Standard line the taste here is very similar. Finally strawberry was drinkable but nothing to flash and like vanilla a little sweet for my tastes, I’m yet to find a strawberry flavour I like across any protein brand and Hydrowhey does nothing to change my mind in this regard.

Ease of Mixing

I’ve never had issues with mixing any of Optimum Nutrition’s whey protein powders and that tradition continues with the Platinum Hydrowhey. The product mixes easily and extremely well in a shaker or with a spoon. Foaming was relatively minimal in all three flavours, although the vanilla did produce a little more foam than either the chocolate or strawberry. Both texture and consistency was fantastic across the board and showed no signs of clumping or grittiness.

Effectiveness

Being both the fastest and purest form of protein on the market, Hydrowhey should ideally be consumed around times when you’ll benefit most from a fast-acting protein source, thus first thing in the morning, before a workout and immediately post workout. I feel I got the most value out of the product post workout, where the fast acting nature of the protein assisted well with recovery, and overall hypertrophy (muscle building). I couldn’t really identify any differences when comparing the results of Hydrowhey with other brands of whey protein isolates I’ve used in the past, but based on the merits of both its purity and consistency over the long term I can’t really fault the products effectiveness.

Nutritional Analysis

Made with 100% hydrolyzed whey protein isolates Optimum Nutrition’s Hydrowhey is a high quality protein supplement. Each (39g) scoop contains 30g of Protein, 8.8gs of BCAAs, 0g Lactose, only 1g of fat, 2g of Carbohydrate and no sugar making it ideal for a quick absorption rate. Protein by weight works out to be 77% which although bettered by some of its competitors, is still a noteworthy achievement. Similar to the Gold Standard range Optimum Nutrition also chose to include additional enzymes (Aminogen, Amylase, Protease, Cellulase and Beta-D-Galactosidase) to aid in absorption and digestion. I was a little surprised to find additional ingredients of Sunflower Oil, Maltodextrin and Modified Food Starch in the mix, although Optimum state these made up 1.5% or less of the mixture and therefore effects would be insignificant. I’m assuming these were added to improve the texture and taste of the products, although the fact that the other competitors on the market can still produce a quality isolate without some of these ingredients does leave a little to be desired. The BCAA profile is again where Optimum excels itself providing a good mix of essential and non essential amino acids which are ideal for assistance in protein synthesis.   

Value for Money

The major downfall of Optimum Nutrition’s Hydrowhey is ultimately its price, at present Optimum only offers its Hydrowhey in two small sizes a 1.6kg and 795g, with a single serving size of 39g each tub should provide 40 and 20 serves respectively. At a cost of the $89.95 for the larger of the two sizes, a single serve equates to $2.25 which isn’t cheap either per serve or in comparison to some of the other isolates on the market. With the largest tub only offering 1.6kg those who like to buy their protein in bigger sizes will also be disappointed. There is no doubt the product does offer quality, but ultimately at a price.

Conclusion

Optimum has taken a step up with its Platinum Hydrowhey offering its fastest and purest protein yet. On the positive side it mixes extremely well, has more protein per serve than its Gold Standard line, is 100% hydrolyzed for quicker absorption, and contains a great mix of BCAAs and digestive enzymes. On the downside the taste of both the strawberry and vanilla were a little too sweet, particularly if you wish to consume this product post workout with added dextrose or fast carbs.  The major sticking point is the price, for 40 scoops at $89.95 the cost is a little high, that being the case I wouldn’t recommend it for a beginner but more for the experienced lifter/athlete. Bottom line is Platinum Hydrowhey is sound hydrolyzed Isolate option which is just not that competitively priced, at the end of the day if you’re already a fan of the 100% Gold Standard line and cost isn’t an issue, you could do a lot worse than Optimum Nutrition’s new Platinum Hydrowhey.