Protein Sour Candy Recipe

This quarter I had a food science course and we had to develop a product that we think should be in the market. Of course my mind went straight to protein... and so did my partner. (We are gym junkies). I thought about protein cereal because I love cereal and there is only one brand I know that has 10 grams per serving. I thought about high protein ice cream, but that would have been an okay idea. Finally we thought of a protein candy. Our target market was obviously going to be individuals that workout regularly and need a protein snack before, during, or after the gym. We even thought this would be a great snack to have during the day to keep muscle protein synthesis stimulated. And so the creating of the Muscle Gummy came to be... with sour liquid BCAA inside!
Over 10 weeks we struggled a bit, slowly overcoming one obstacle after another.  We finally finished our final product this weekend just in time to present tomorrow!

Protein Gummy Recipe

Ingredients

BCAA Liquid: Yields about 50 drops

½ tsp bpi Sports BCAA supplement

¼ cup water

1 tsp tapioca Starch

¼ tsp Citric Acid

Gummy: Yields about 40 Cubes

¼ cup cold water

1 tsp Raspberry syrup

3 packets Knox original Gelatine Unflavored (33g)

¾ cup warm water

1 Tbls Raspberry syrup

1 Scoop Isopure Unflavored Whey Protein Isolate (16g)

Additional Sugar and Citric Acid to coat candies

Procedure

1. Add BCAA to Water and mix well,  add tapioca starch and mix well
2. Heat mixture while stirring constantly until desired consistency
3. Remove from heat and mix in Citric Acid
4. Use a measured syringe to form .625 mL droplets on a cookie sheet and then place in freezer immediately for later use

1. Add ¼ cup water to bowl and add 1 tsp raspberry syrup
2. Sprinkle gelatin over top to begin forming gel and let sit 1 minute
3. Heat ¾ cup water and add 1 Tablespoon Raspberry syrup
4. Pour warm juice mixture over gelatin mixture and mix well
5. Once mixture has slightly cooled add protein powder and mix well
6. Pour 7/8th of the  mixture in a shallow 4/6 bread pan and let stand until slightly gelled
7. Place the rest of the mixture on a hot plate and monitor temperature at >100◦F to avoid gel formation but below boiling (avoid overheating the goal her is just to prevent gel formation)
8. Carefully place frozen BCAA in desired locations (use a cookie cutter for your shapes and references)
9. Pour the remaining warm gelatin mixture over the top to seal the liquid inside.
10. Place in the Refrigerator immediately, and cut into 4 rows of 10

Upon consumption dip or dust the gummies with 5 to 1 sugar and citric acid mixture  

Note: Video below does not show how to insert liquid BCAA into the gummy base. 

Final Result

Our goal was to create a product with 10 grams of protein per serving. We managed 9 grams, so we are satisfied with our ending product! I could get into all the food science concepts incorporated, such as weeping, spherification, and foaming. All of which we had some problem overcoming.  But I will save that for another day!

Thanks for reading.

How Much Protein Do You Really Need?

Fitness people are all about protein. Period. But how much is too much? How much is too little? We'll talk about that shortly. First, let's talk about research! Yay. Credibility is everything (especially when it comes to nutrition). This summer I was introduced to a webinar about protein. The man speaking (Unfortunately, I forgot his name... I have short-term memory loss) broke down the process of when we eat protein or fast how muscle protein synthesis is affected. Muscle protein synthesis in lay person terms means your muscle is growing. We want our muscle growing all the time! So how do we stimulate this "muscle protein synthesis"?  Here is where those gym protein junkies will agree with me. Eating 20 grams of protein every couple hours will simulate muscle protein synthesis. After about 3 hours of eating your body will go into muscle protein breakdown. For example, if you had breakfast at 8am, and didn't eat your next meal until 1pm, that's a 5 hour fast. Breaking any fast at the 2 hour mark will be beneficial to those trying to sustain/gain muscle.
In the webinar, Mr. Protein (for lack of a real name), presented a study on which protein is the best. Whey, Casein, Pea, Soy? Well according to multiple studies, for stimulating muscle protein synthesis, the answer is Whey!

So how much protein should you have? I have met too many people this summer (all were male) that consumed WAY too much protein. To calculate protein you use kilograms not pounds.
"So, what happens if I have too much protein?" Well, the excess protein will be converted into fat. So those that are trying to cut with a HIGH protein diet might need to recalculate grams of protein per day.


The Secret Formula
You guys are in for a treat. I am giving you the formula! First convert your weight from pounds to kilograms. (Divide pounds by 2.2)
Next depending on your type of workout, multiply by one of these factors:
Endurance (running, swimming): 1.2
Sports: 1.6
Weight Training: 1.6-1.8

Not into working out but you are over 40? Use multiply your weight in kg by 1.2.

The number you end up with is how much protein you should consume per day.

For example, I am 110 pounds or 50 kilograms. I workout 6 times a week so I'm going to use the 1.8 factor (I'm trying to gain muscle). That comes out to 90 grams of protein AT LEAST per day to stimulate muscle protein synthesis.

How do I get that much protein?
Well protein shakes aren't a bad idea, I drink one after my workouts. I have been interning at MVUSD and I became inspired by a product they have: a power/energy box. I decided I would try to create my own "Protein Box".

Contained in this snack bag is 70 grams of protein and a bunch of goodies! 

"Well there is a lot of carbs and calories in there." Sure but I need them for energy. I tend to plateau my weight at 110 but as soon as I really focus on getting 90-100 grams of protein a day, the extra couple pounds fall off. 

So go ahead and try increasing your protein intake for a week and see how you feel. And for those that are already eating enough protein, keep at it!