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Why choose us?

Quality Assurance - why choose us?

Are you concerned about the contents of your supplements, protein shakes and vitamins? At Monkey we work with the best suppliers of ingredients in the UK & USA with every step of the manufacturing process being regulated and tested to ensure our products contain exactly what they say on the label.

Recent reports suggest some dietary supplements do not actually contain the ingredients or quantities listed on the product label and in some cases, products have been tampered with in order to give certain (false) readings when tested. This gives today’s consumer cause for concern and makes it difficult to determine true quality and credibility.

Our U.S ingredient supplier and blender are regulated by the NSF (in compliance with GMP requirements in NSF/ANSI standard 173, section 8 dietary supplements). NSF International is an independent, not-for-profit public health organisation that certifies products and writes standards for food, water and consumer goods. NSF has a 65-year history of protecting public health, safety and environment worldwide. Any ingredients we source from the UK originate from companies meeting ISO9000/2001 and GMP standards. This means you can purchase safe in the knowledge we are constantly doing everything we can to ensure our products meet your high standards.

 

Protein:

Does your cheap protein powder really contain the amount of “whole” protein stated on the label?? Protein spiking is rife and legal loop holes allow companies to get away with this tactic at your expense!

Protein content is determined by measuring the overall nitrogen content of a powder. Nitrogen is a compound unique to protein and is not found in carbs or fats. The most common method used to measure the total nitrogen in a protein product is known as the "Kjeldahl Method” - this involves liberating reduced nitrogen as ammonia, and then measuring the ammonia. The problem here, is the Kjeldahl test could imply a given supplement contains more “whole” protein than it actually does, especially where the product contains additional amino acids (usually from human hair, feathers and fur), which will contribute to the overall nitrogen content.

A perfect example of where this happens is powders which contain creatine. Creatine has been shown to spike protein content by as much as 143%!! - In other words, if a powder contains creatine (and it is not listed separately, with an amount), then a product which lists the protein content as being 25g for example, may well only contain around 10g of actual “whole” protein. Check your powder’s label for a full break down of amino acids and make sure the creatine listed is assigned its own amount. If the powder has been spiked, then it is unlikely the company will provide you with an “Amino Acid Profile” and in this case, they can’t be trusted. For relatively cheap powders citing high protein content, these have no doubt been spiked! - The price of whey protein at manufacturing level tells us this much! - manufacturers pay as much as £10 per lb (453g) for premium quality whey. Add to this a high level flavouring system (which can represent as much as a third of the price again) as well as packaging, and it becomes apparent why some powders appear more expensive than others - You only get what you pay for!

Something else to look out for is whether the protein content is given "as is" or "dry basis". This is an important consideration when determining percentage of protein. Alarm bells should be ringing when a product claims to be 90%+ protein, whilst also including a flavouring system and other excipients. This would usually mean the protein is given as "dry basis" and therefore not a true reflection the amount of protein you will be using.

Supplement companies providing the “dry” basis measurement do so in order to make their protein formulations appear more valuable than they actually are. A “dry" basis measurement provides the percent of protein based on total solids present, excluding water. However, all spray dried powders contain some moisture - around 5% and therefore a 90% protein content claim for a powder means 90% of the 95% solids in that powder is protein. This equates to values anywhere from 85.5% to 86.5% protein measured on an “as is” basis. It is important to know the “as is” protein content of a powder because this is the protein “as you will be using it”. For example, Primal26 (vanilla) is 26g of protein (as is) in a 31g serving. This equates to approx 85% protein, or 90%+ if given as dry basis (dry basis value is much closer to 30g protein).

 

Why does spiking go on?

Because protein companies (even the trusted big ones) can’t swallow the fact that whey as a raw material is so expensive, it gives them little room for the margins they so greedily desire. Adding in synthetic amino acids is an extremely cheap way of “upping” the protein content of a powder, allowing a higher retail price, whilst still remaining extremely competitive, thus duping the consumer by providing an inferior product you think is something it really isn’t!

Tim Ziegenfuss, CEO of the Center for Applied Health Sciences (a clinical research organization that conducts studies on dietary supplements) said arginine and creatine are used for protein spiking: “Arginine has approximately three times more nitrogen than whey protein, and creatine has approximately one and a half times more nitrogen at less than half the price. Spiking protein with these nutraceuticals is a cheap way to drive up the nitrogen level of a protein powder without adding more high-quality protein.”

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