Amino acids in buttermilk, skim milk and added whey protein
What it found
Adding 3% whey protein to a mix of buttermilk and skim milk raised essential amino acids so a 200 g serving met 15% of daily needs.
The tests were done on the dairy products themselves, not in people.
What they found
Essential amino acids in ingredients
Per 100 g, the broken-down whey protein supplied 50.6 to 168.0% of the daily need for essential amino acids. Skim milk supplied only 3.0 to 22.3%, and buttermilk supplied 2.6 to 19.9%.
Buttermilk versus skim milk
Skim milk had about 3.36% protein and buttermilk had about 3.09% protein. Even with similar protein levels, buttermilk contained less of every essential amino acid than skim milk. The authors say this is because the types of proteins differ between the two milks.
Adding whey protein to the mix
Adding 3% broken-down whey protein to the half-and-half milk base boosted six specific essential amino acids. A 200 g portion of this drink provided 15% of the daily need for those amino acids.
What the authors conclude
- They suggest the milk mixture with 3% added whey protein can be treated as a functional product for certain essential amino acids.
- They advise adding extra label information such as low fat, low calorie, natural sugars only, and a protein source for people needing no more than 99 grams of protein per day.
How it was done
Many diets lack a good balance of nutrients, so the authors wanted to develop foods that supply more protein and essential amino acids.
They tested samples of skim milk, buttermilk and a half-and-half mix of both. They added between 1% and 3% broken-down whey protein to some samples. They then measured the amino acids using lab equipment.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These tests measured nutrients in the dairy products, not what happens when people drink them.
- The work cannot show whether drinking this mix changes health outcomes in people.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no overt and potential conflict of interest related to the publication of this article.
- Authors work at
- Vologda State Dairy Farming Academy named after N.V. Vereshchagin, Russia; All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Butter- and Cheesemaking - Branch of V.M. Gorbatov Federal Research Center for Food Systems of RAS, Russia
The paper
- Title
- [Analysis of amino acid composition of skim milk and buttermilk for the production of dairy drink when introducing whey protein hydrolysate]
- Type
- Study
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Novokshanova AL, Topnikova EV, Ababkova AA (2019). [Analysis of amino acid composition of skim milk and buttermilk for the production of dairy drink when introducing whey protein hydrolysate]. Voprosy pitaniia. doi:10.24411/0042-8833-2019-10034PubMed 31265780DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error