High-protein foods continue to gain popularity among Italian consumers. Nutrition claims related to ‘protein’ had already emerged as the phenomenon of the year 2021, registering substantial growth (+6.4 percent) on sales of products that referred to them on the label. (1)
A brief market survey in the categories of yogurt, dairy desserts and fresh cheese shows us 14 high-protein products, where the amount of protein (in grams per serving) is expressed on the front of the package.
Yogurt, desserts and high-protein cheeses
Nutritional profiles of selected foods are compared by referring for once to servings, rather than to 100 g as is customary. Precisely because their labels report in large letters the amount of protein per serving.
The analysis also considers the presence of food additives, with particular attention to sweeteners used as an alternative to sugars.
Sweetener additives
Almost all milk-based high-protein products contain sweeteners. With the exception of fresh cheese, as well as a small minority of yogurt (1 in 3) and desserts (1 in 8).
Sweeteners are associated with alterations in the microbiota and regulation of blood glucose levels. Some scientific studies then associate acaloric sweetener intake with weight gain, a paradoxical effect that deserves further investigation. (2)
Other food additives
Other almost ubiquitous food additives-in the 14 yogurts, desserts, and high-protein cheeses analyzed-are not without contraindications, although their use is authorized in the EU:
- emulsifiers and thickeners (carrageenan, carboxymethylcellulose, polysorbate-80, mono and diglycerides of fatty acids etc.) have been identified through in vitro and animal studies as possible promoters of inflammatory bowel disease,
- phosphates (E 339), used by Cameo as stabilizers, are themselves the subject of attention. Indeed, a generalized increase in phosphate levels in the blood vessel wall of the population has been found to be associated with increased cardiovascular risk. (3)
High-protein yogurts
Real yogurts, so qualified on the label in the product name, are still few. In our reconnaissance we identified three.
Danone and Müller add sweeteners and thickening additives to it. Müller also uses synthetic flavorings and more additives, because of a preparation with chocolate and hazelnuts that provides quite a few calories, in spite of the use of sweeteners.
Mila stands out favorably with a yogurt that offers the highest amount of protein per jar (16g), without added additives or sweeteners. A
clean label
, finally.
Fermented milks and protein desserts
The names of the 9 selected products range from dessert to snack to pudding. Anglophone pudding and porridge, among others, then appear.
The recipe is always based on milk and milk protein. Some products also contain fruit preparations, cereals, chocolate.
Protein ranges from 12 to over 20 grams per jar, the amount of which in turn ranges from 140 to 200 grams.
In this category there are no synthetic flavorings (referred to as ‘flavorings‘), in the ingredient list of the products examined.
Sweeteners, on the other hand, are always present. With the exception of Milk porridge, where sugar is present instead.
Only two products-Yogo Pro from Coop and Pro High Protein Porridge with Yogurt from Austrian Milk-are free of other additives, emulsifiers above all.
Fats range from absolute zero to 3.4g per jar.
High-protein fresh cheeses
The three fresh high-protein cheeses analyzed were free of synthetic sweeteners and flavorings (‘flavorings‘).
Philadelphia Wellness Protein has the smallest package (175g) but contains three times as much saturated fat. And it is also the only cheese to add an additive, locust bean gum (E 419), which has been associated with allergic reactions (mainly asthma and rhinitis) and possible intestinal discomfort (bloating, flatulence, laxative effect) at high intakes.
Protein ranges from 19 to 28 grams per jar.
Instead, salt towers at 1.76 and 1.49 grams in Milk and Philadelphia, respectively. An overdose, given the WHO recommendation not to exceed 5 g per day.
Notes
(1) Marta Strinati. Italians’ food consumption in the Immagino Observatory. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 18.6.22
(2) Marta Strinati. Zero-calorie sweeteners, paradox effect. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 22.4.18
(3) Marta Strinati. The role of ultraprocessed foods in inflammatory bowel disease. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 15.11.22
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
