Particularly recommended for young...
Casein
Casein, used in the form of calcium caseinate, is protein extracted from milk, making up 80% of the proteins in cow milk. Casein has a wide variety of uses, from being a major component of cheese, to use as a food additive. As a food source, casein supplies essential amino acids, carbohydrates, and two inorganic elements, calcium and phosphorus.
Description:
Casein, used in the form of calcium caseinate, is protein extracted from milk, making up 80% of the proteins in cow milk. Casein has a wide variety of uses, from being a major component of cheese, to use as a food additive. As a food source, casein supplies essential amino acids, carbohydrates, and two inorganic elements, calcium and phosphorus.
Properties:
Caseins have the advantages of the excellent nutritional value of milk proteins, with high rate of crude proteins (92%) and no lactose, so no colon fermentation in adult horses with no digestive upset. Caseins are emulsifying proteins. They improve satiety and slow down nitrogen absorption by muscle. Thus, amino acids are slowly distributed in the body, allowing stopping the muscular catabolism post- exercise. The digestible contents of leucine, lysine, methionine and total sulfur amino acids of milk proteins are highly digestible and higher than those for the soybean proteins. Casein is digested as short peptides, the most bio-available form of amino acids for the horse’s foregut absorption. So there is very low level of residue in the colon, avoiding harmful fermentation.
Possible uses:
Casein intake is beneficial for muscle growth and preparation to exertion. Using casein-containing diets was reported to enhance muscle synthesis and repair: immediately intake after resistance exercise results in a muscle protein synthesis response. It is an interesting protein source to add in the diet of growing horses, young horses during early training, athletic horses during training and competition periods, convalescent horses with a loss of muscle or older horses with difficulties to eat and digest proteins.