Okay, whenever protein shakes are mentioned, Biotest’s AP is the only name I ever see. Aside from the flavor, what is particularly special about AP that would differentiate it from my $9.95 Optimum Nutrition Whey Protein? Of course it has smidgeon of extra ingredients, but is that worth the 30 extra bucks? Don’t misunderstand me, this is an actual question, not a jab at Biotest’s prices. Thanks, guys.
Don’t discount flavor. I’d pay extra for something I know I won’t puke up. I like ap because of the taste, and because it’s more powdery and mixes better than others, because of the low carbs, and because it’s YUMMY FOR MY TUMMY. Nothing beats a good mix of cottage cheese, choco ap, a splash of milk and almond butter - It’s soooo delightfully sinful and tastes like a pnut butter pie…man you cannot beat that! And the price is reasonable for a high end powder.
AP has an ingredient in it that helps the body utilize protein. Plus the quality is great and it’s not just a one type of protein but a proper blend. (Remember, whey is not the optimal protein to use all the time. Cy Willson wrote a great article about that. Battle of the proteins? Something like that.) Plus I doubt you’re getting quality protein for $10. And taste is worth paying for too if you used as much as I do due to job constraints.
I’ve NEVER found a protien supplement I could stomach. After listening to all the hype about AP I’ve thought of giving it a try. Honestly, if I think all the others taste horrible, will AP be that much better? Like coffee - if you hate coffee flavor, a different brand of bean probably won’t change your attitude. - Loke
I almost yakked the last time I drank that optimum whey stuff. I honestly was over the sink gagging. Biotest AP tastes good. No where near a chocolate chip cookie, but damnit, the vanilla is my favorite protein powder, I actually enjoy the taste.
Loke, I love chocolate but chocolate MRP’s and protein powders make me gag, especially Met-Rx. I refused to buy chocolate AP just vanilla until I tried my friend’s. It’s incredible. Not overly chocolately, but a great flavor. It’s milk choc, not dutch, so maybe that’s the dif. It’s the only one I can drink and I actually enjoy it.
Maybe when some of us have more money to spare…
A shake made with two scoops of AP has 40 grams of protein and only 4 carbs. Buy 2 get 1 free and you get 48 shakes for about 88 bucks. That means each shake costs less then 2 bucks even after you add in tax and shipping. That’s not expensive considering what you’re getting. Heck, as chris shugert has said before, you can’t eat Taco Bell that cheaply.
whats the special ingredient in AP that helps you use more protein?
When comparing protein quality economy proteins such as optimum and other economy whey proteins are reapidly released and highly insulinogenic and this can lead to fat gain much more easily. This is not good if you’re trying to diet. Not only this but if you add up the amount of protein in an economy protein in each serving times the # of servings per container and compare it to the total amount of substance per container you’ll most likely have 2 different #'s. Who knows what this extra filler stuff is.
With a high quality protein such as A.P. you’re getting a high quality more slow releasing protein blend that tastes excellent as well. However, if you’re just a hardgainer needing to put on size and needing a ton of calories to do so and don’t have much money I’d recommend you get as much of whatever protein you can afford. Afterall, if you take 2 identical twin brothers and train them the same and give 1 of them an economy protein and the other one a high quality protein with everything else being equal I doubt after 6 months if you would see a whole lot of difference other than maybe at most a couple of lbs muscle/bodyfat difference.
$9.95 for Optimum Nutrition whey protein?? AP aside, Id be thankful for that… it costs us US$50-55 down here (New Zealand), and its one of the better ones.
man, dont I feel gipped… 
Since I’m pretty much broke, I mix a scoop of AP with a scoop of less expensive protein. I’ve found that AP is so good it can reflavor another protein to make the whole shake taste great. Plus, the whey/casein mix is a higher quality that Optimum’s lower-greade whey.
But yeah–what IS the special ingredient AP has that helps you use more of the protein?
If I’m not mistaken the “special” ingredient is a digestive enzyme for this protein. It helps with the digestion and absortion of the product. However, I’m going on memory here and didn’t search to find the true answer, but I’m pretty sure thats what it is. If I have some time, I’ll be sure to find out exactly. Or you could look it up yourself.
AP is the only “low carb” protein powder that I can drink by itself. All the other crap I have to mix with at least half of an MRP to swallow. Kudos to Biotest for AP!
The enzyme in AP is glucono-delta-lactone. About the most complete explanation I could find on the web site comes from Reader Mail in issue 75. Apparently, at one time, Biotest was going to market the enzyme by itself. “Many of us at the office, however, take glucono-delta-lactone, which is a nonnutritive (for humans, anyhow) carbohydrate. We use it to literally feed the beneficial bacteria in our digestive tracts, thus keeping the numbers of “bad” bacteria down (those that might play a role in certain types of cancer). These good bacteria also manufacture certain vitamins as their byproducts in addition to causing a slight increase in overall nitrogen retention. They also help the body absorb certain nutrients. Oh, yeah, they also prevent terminal flatulence. We’re the only ones in the country taking this stuff right now, and we’re eventually going to make it available through
this site (once we’ve assured ourselves that we can keep a steady supply of it coming in).”
Here it is. This is from Tim’s column in issue 143: “We used a combination of
the best casein, whey isolate, and milk-protein isolate we
could find. Then, we added just the right amount of certain
vitamins and a compound called glucono-delta-lactone to
facilitate the body’s ability to digest and utilize protein.”
AP could be powdered monkey dung for all I know, but holy crap that stuff is tasty. Easily the best tasting protein I’ve ever had and that is worth the extra dough to me.
AP is awesome. Highest quality protein plus great taste. You have to pay something for quality and Biotest has the buy 2 get 1 free. And if there is a remote chance you don’t like it, send it to me. No, they have a money back guarantee.
if you take in 200 cals of one brand or 200 cals of another you will NOT gain fat easier with one then the other. hetyey225
How thick is AP? Grow tasted great, but it was a little thick for my liking.