Hemp Protein Powder, Organic, 1kg

Description

Hemp protein powder, organic, 1 kilogram in the bag, 33 servings of about 30 grams at roughly 88 cents each. It is cold pressed hemp seed cake milled into a powder, which means it runs around 50 percent protein with the fibre and residual fat left in. A hemp protein powder is closer to a food than to a shake, and the arithmetic on the label follows from that.

The numbers on the bag

Half the scoop is not protein, and that is the point

A pea or whey isolate runs 80 to 90 percent protein. This runs about half, because pressing the oil out of hemp seed leaves a cake that still contains the hull fibre. So a 30 gram serving gives roughly 15 grams of protein, and anyone comparing it against an isolate by scoop weight is comparing two different quantities.

Price per gram of protein is the figure that makes the comparison honest, and it is printed under the price on every listing across the protein page, for the reason set out in why price per milligram beats the price on the bottle. On that basis hemp protein powder is competitive, which is not the impression the percentage alone gives.

The amino acid profile, with its weak point stated

Hemp protein is largely edestin and albumin, and it contains all nine essential amino acids. Lysine is its limiting amino acid, measurably lower than in dairy or soy protein, which is a compositional fact rather than a verdict. The full profile for your lot is published with the certificate so you can see the figure instead of taking a claim about completeness on trust.

Published protein quality work has measured hemp protein digestibility and amino scores as lower than whey or soy and comparable to other seed proteins, with processing method affecting the result. That describes the literature rather than this bag, and it is the sort of thing that belongs next to the price instead of in a footnote.

Hemp protein powder against a pea and rice blend

A pea and rice blend runs 75 to 85 percent protein, mixes smoother and costs less per gram of protein. Hemp protein powder runs about half protein, with fibre and residual oil making up much of the rest, and it tastes of seed rather than of flavouring. On protein content alone the blend wins and we are not going to pretend otherwise.

What hemp protein powder gives instead is a whole food ingredient with its oil and fibre intact, which is why it behaves in baking and in porridge where an isolate turns rubbery. Both are stocked and both are priced per gram of protein, so the trade is visible before the first scoop rather than after it.

Why the residual fat shortens the shelf life

Cold pressing does not remove all the oil, and hemp seed oil is high in polyunsaturated fatty acids that oxidise. That is what gives the powder its nutty taste when fresh and a flat cardboard note when old. Keep the bag sealed and cool, and buy a size you will finish rather than the largest one available.

What it is like to drink

Hemp protein powder is gritty and dark green brown, and it settles in a glass within a minute. It works in a smoothie with fruit, in oats and in baking, and it is not pleasant shaken with water alone. We would rather say that than describe it as smooth, since one scoop will settle the argument anyway.

Testing

Every lot of hemp protein powder goes to a laboratory outside this business for protein content by a method that is not nitrogen alone, a full amino breakdown, heavy metals and microbials. Under strength lots are withdrawn and the failing certificate stays published. For intake references and what protein trials have measured, see the NIH fact sheet on supplements for exercise and athletic performance.