In this review we will look at the German brand Inkospor. You will find out how proteins from this brand actually performed in our testing, what we appreciate about them and what we don't. So if you are just thinking about buying proteins directly from Inkospor or just looking for another protein to try, definitely keep reading.
First of all, I have to admit that the existence of this brand was a complete mystery to me until recently. So naturally, I was very curious to find out what Inkospor even is and what quality products it has to offer. On the other hand, the unfamiliarity of this brand also caused me to have a certain amount of distrust in its products.
So what is it really like? Is Inkospor a brand worth investing in? Or should you avoid it? Of course, I will try to answer all these questions here.
Content of the review
I had the opportunity to try the Active Pro 80 Protein Shake multi-ingredient protein from this brand, and purely out ofI'll give space to their vegan, gluten and lactose free Active Protein shake at the end of this review. I can honestly say that I was very surprised by the composition of this brand's proteins, in some ways pleasantly, in some ways unpleasantly. So let's take a look at it.
Composition and digestibility
According to the ingredients, we can easily figure out that Active Pro 80 Protein shake is not a classic whey protein, but a multi-ingredient protein concentrate. In addition to the predominant milk protein, we can also find whey or egg albumin. This composition makes multi-ingredient proteins a great source of fast, medium and slow digesting proteins.
Unfortunately, I could not find the methods of protein processing or the exact ratio of the individual protein sources anywhere in this brand. So either the manufacturer doesn't list them or I just didn't notice them. So if you have found the processing method or the ratio of protein sources somewhere, don't be afraid to comment in the comments, I'd be happy to.
The proteins from this brand are primarily characterized by their extremely high amino acid content, which is expressed here through the amino acid score. Don't you know what that is? I totally understand, to be honest, I didn't know either until recently. Just to give you an idea, the amino acid score (AAS) is an indicator set by the World Health Organization. So it is a sort of indicator of the quality of the protein contained, working with the ratio of the individual amino acids in the selected product to the reference protein. As I mentioned before, I have never come across something like this before with any other brand. However, be that as it may, I must say that this protein contains really high amounts of amino acids such as leucine, isoleucine, proline, valine or alanine. It is therefore thanks to such a high content of amino acids that these proteins are more than suitable for supporting recovery.
Unfortunately, however, the artificial sugar maltodextrin appears quite high in the composition. There are many opinions, both negative and positive, about this carbohydrate. Very often it is cited as a great source of energy, both before, during and after training. On the other hand, it should also be mentioned that maltodextrin has a relatively high glycemic index, which means that it can affect blood sugar levels. However, in proteins, especially of this price range, such added substances don't have much to do in my opinion.
The sweetener used here is a pair of controversial artificial sweeteners aspartame and acesulfame K. If you are interested in the issue of artificial sweeteners, feel free to check out our earlier article dealing with this very topic.
So, in short, I will just say that aspartame is very often demonized mainly because it metabolizes small amounts of toxic methanol in our bodies. However, this amount is absolutely minimal and Lukáš Roubík himself adds on this topic that mostamount of methanol can be produced even when drinking orange juice or tomato juice. Moreover, aspartame is approved in more than 90 countries around the world and has been tested countless times for its health safety.
Even the second-mentioned acesulfame K is often demonised because of its potential toxicity and carcinogenicity. However, these claims have not yet been confirmed in any way. Thus, this sweetener is also safe for the human body. However, it is still an artificial sweetener, which means that it should definitely not be overdone.
Apart from the sweeteners mentioned above, the other big surprise for me wasm was the high content of a whole range of different vitamins from the water-soluble B vitamin group. For example, we can find riboflavin (B2), pyridoxine hydrochloride (B6), folic acid (B9) or thiamine mononitrate (B1).
Compared to the proteins I have had the opportunity to test in the past, this is a completely different composition. You will definitely not find commonly used substances like sucralose or steviol glycosides in this protein. Unfortunately, you won't find any proteolytic enzymes that promote digestion either, which I personally found a bit disappointing given its price. Moreover, it just confirmed that proteins containing papain, bromelain and lactase are digested by my body much better than proteins without these enzymes.
Solubility and nutritional values
I had basically no significant problems with the solubility of this protein. The protein did not foam unnecessarily and did not leave lumps. In this respect, I have practically nothing to complain about.
Per 100 g, this protein has approximately 360 kcal, while the protein content here should be 80 g per 100 g. This means that a 25 g serving contains 20 g of protein, which is relatively high. The carbohydrate content here is then somewhere around 11 g per 100 g.
Ratings for individual flavours
Finally, we come to the most important point of this review for many, which is of course the individual flavour ratings. The Inkospor brand offers quite a wide range of differentflavours ranging from hazelnut or coconut to lemon or pineapple. We had the opportunity to try a total of four flavours, namely blueberry yoghurt, vanilla, pistachio and coconut. So what do you think? Were these flavours a success or not?
- The blueberry yoghurt 6.5/10 was an average flavour. However, it was great in porridge, yoghurt or cottage cheese and offered a much better flavour when combined with real blueberries or raspberries.
- Vanilla 7.5/10 was a safe bet and in this case it certainly didn't disappoint. In fact, the vanilla tasted great to me. Especially in the porridge, which after a while I couldn't even imagine without it.
- Pistachio 6/10 probably came out the worst this time. Similar to the blueberry yogurt, this is a pretty average flavor with not much to get excited about. Compared to the aforementioned blueberry yogurt, however, it doesn't really lend itself well to porridge or yogurt either.
- Coconut 10/10 tastes absolutely divine and has become my current favourite protein. The protein is exceptionally creamy, plus it contains chunks of coconut for even more variety. The flavour is varied and distinctive, yet not over-sweetened. Adding this protein to oatmeal along with chocolate beans made for an absolutely perfect combination.
Affordability
In terms of affordability, these proteins are quite expensive compared to the competition. In fact, you can get a 750 g pack on Inkospor's website for . A 25 g dose will cost you some . This is of course no tragedy, compared to qualitatively betterHowever, it is incomparably more for better quality proteins such as Czech Virus MPS-5 Pro or Prom-In Pentha Pro Balance.
Where to buy protein cheapest?
Final verdict
If you decide to buy a multi-ingredient protein from Inkospor, you won't make a big mistake. For me, however, it's a protein with a rather, shall we say , questionable composition, which admittedly boasts a high protein content and amino acid score. On the other hand, it contains unnecessary or quite controversial substances that proteins of a similar price range should not contain.
So if you are looking for a high quality multi-ingredient protein with a great composition withI would rather look for something like the above mentioned Prom-In Pentha Pro Balance and Czech Virus MPS-5 Pro. In my opinion, these two proteins are a much better and more affordable choice in terms of composition and price. However, if you still decide to buy a multi-ingredient protein from Inkospor, you definitely won't go wrong and you will get a relatively high quality multi-ingredient protein for a relatively high price.
Active Protein shake is gluten-free and lactose-free
Finally, we come to the already promised vegan protein. The best at the end? Well, I'm not entirely sure. However, if you are lactose intolerant or follow a vegan diet, you might be interested in this protein.
It uses soy as the protein source. Quite unsurprisingly, we can also find the relatively commonly used soy lecithin. Acesulfame K is also used as a sweetener in this protein, but instead of aspartame, it is supplemented with steviol glycosides. Which of course I consider, compared to the protein reviewed above, a definite plus. Also here we can find water-soluble vitamins from the B group, such as riboflavin (B2), pyridoxine hydrochloride (B6) or folic acid (B9).
In terms of solubility, I have not had any major complications with this protein either. It dissolved fairly well and left minimal lumps. Per 100 g, this protein has 370 kcal. The protein content is again 80 g per 100 g, which means that a 25 g serving contains 20 g of protein.
Inkospor offers a total of two flavours for this protein, namely vanilla and chocolate. I had the opportunity to try the vanilla and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Of course, if you are somehow bothered by the taste of soy itself, you probably won't like this protein. However, I personally liked it and can only recommend it from that point of view.
However, you can get a 450 g pack for . So the price is quite high. When choosing a vegan protein, I would ultimately reach for a protein from a brand like NaturalProtein. However, if you don't mind soy and don't mind paying a little extra, I don't see any major problem with this protein from Inkospor. You definitely won't go wrong with it that way, but I'm not entirely sure it's worth the price.
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