It's Not Just Water Under the Bridge

Americans want better drinking water -- and are doing something about it

In the duodenum or proximal bowel where protein is absorbed in the human body, dipeptides and tripeptides (protein �chains� consisting of two and three amino acids) enter freely into intestinal cells to be absorbed into the bloodstream.The highest quality hydrolysates will be 100% Whey Protein Hydrolysates which have a bitter taste by definition and therefore are not used in high amounts. Along with the bitter taste, comes a bitter high price as it is the highest quality and most expensive protein available today. Some manufacturers have been able to produce a 100% hydrolysate that does not have a bitter taste, yet is rather expensive compared to other protein supplements.There are many benefits in maintaining elevated amino acid levels in blood as this has been shown to diminish muscle breakdown (catabolism) as well as having an anabolic effect. If your body is trying to repair muscle tissue, it needs amino acids in the bloodstream to be able to do so. It would be hard for a builder to build you a house with no materials; the same holds true for muscle repair and growth: they cannot take place without the presence of adequate amounts of amino acids in our bloodstream.

Almost half are worried about sediments in their water There are many different processes designed to separate or filter the valuable fractions of protein found in whey. These range from microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis filtration, dynamic membrane filtration, ion exchange, as well as many others that are being tested to yield the best product that contains as many of the beneficial health promoting portions of whey while leaving the impurities out.It does not take a degree in chemistry to realize that heat denatures (breaks down) protein. The whole idea of running the WPC through a membrane was in part to remove denatured protein, so why add a step that takes your product backwards? High quality WPI will only be dried into a powder using low temperature spray dryers as the high temperature dryers will denature the protein and yield a much lower quality product.Pros: These systems provide a very high level of filtration, particularly when coupled with whole house conditioners, to achieve one of the highest levels of mineral and bacteria filtration. This combined system, available from manufacturers like RainSoft or EcoWater, can include filtered water for not only drinking purposes, but even for bathing and washing clothes.In June, NanoH2O was selected as a winner of The Artemis Project ™ 2010 Top 50 Water Companies Competition. Distinguished as the only RO membrane manufacturer to make the list, NanoH2O was chosen by a panel of industry experts based on four criteria: technology, intellectual property and know-how, team and market potential. In 2009, NanoH2O was ranked fourth among the Artemis Top 50 Water Companies.For more information about Moen's PureTouch filtering faucet and PureTouch AquaSuite, contact Moen Incorporated at 25300 Al Moen Drive, North Olmsted, Ohio 44070-8022, call toll free 1 (877) DRINK-H2O (877-374-6542) or visit its Web sites at www.pure-touch.com or www.moen.com.Once these unwanted particles are isolated from the high quality protein, a crystal clear liquid is all that is left over. The next step is to dry this crystal clear liquid to create a powder, and here is one of the steps where manufacturers can go astray.The above cry was from a thirsty sailor at sea made famous in S.T. Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," and that cry now echoes the feelings in close to half of America's homes, as evidenced by their purchase of some type of water filtering device. That number doesn't even include all the consumers who purchase bottled water, which is now close to being a $5.2 billion-a-year industry, according to the New York-based consulting group, Beverage Marketing Corp. However, home water treatment systems are gaining in popularity because of not only the high cost of bottled water, but also the ongoing maintenance of purchasing and transporting large bottles or heavy cases of the wet stuff.In November, NanoH2O was honored for innovation in water purification technology by the Los Angeles Business Journal 2010 Patrick Soon-Shiong Innovation Award. NanoH2O was selected as one of the fifteen finalists from thousands of companies nominated within the Los Angeles area. The award honors cutting-edge companies for their work in enhancing the region’s competitiveness through innovation.

Two-thirds have aesthetic problems with their water: its smell or taste, hardness or appearance

Water pitchers or carafes: These allow you to directly pour water into them, then wait while the water runs through a filter.It's also important to look for units that are certified by the NSF (National Sanitation Foundation), which qualifies filtration claims made by manufacturers. Different levels of filtration are available among these systems and vary, depending upon the homeowners' choice of filtering needs and costs.The National Consumer Water Quality Survey noted that 95 percent of its respondents said they were satisfied with the effectiveness of their home water treatment system, with another one out of 10 looking to add a system. So it looks like the people have spoken -- no matter how you filter it, the drinks are on the house.The only way to create a superior product is to let the liquid dry into a powder by using a low temperature dryer. A low temperature dryer is a very expensive and slow way of creating a powder from the crystalline liquid. Many manufacturers opt to use a high temperature dryer as it is much faster and cheaper to use than a low temperature one.That's according to the results of a new 2001 National Consumer Water Quality Survey which analyzed respondents' perceptions about their household water supply and other home water quality issues.Yet another problem associated with Ion Exchange whey protein isolate includes high sodium content in the final product, as well as up to 10% denatured protein caused by the chemical reaction between the resin the protein was bound to and the buffer used to release it, and the loss of GMP's and other immune system boosters.“These awards are a testament to NanoH2O’s achievements in commercializing nanocomposite reverse osmosis membranes and the strong momentum generated by introducing the technology into the desalination marketplace,” said Jeff Green, CEO of NanoH2O. “We have commercially demonstrated an advanced solution that dramatically improves the economics of desalination. Our continued success is a direct result of our talented team and commitment to providing innovative and high-caliber products.”This study, conducted and released in May 2001 by the Water Quality Association, found that nearly nine out of 10 American consumers have serious, overall concerns about their drinking water. In particular this included:

Pros: Also cost-efficient, tap attachments are usually available from $30 -- $100, and now, too, offer different levels of filtering. They provide filtered water with just a knob turn, and are fairly easy to install. PUR, GE and Culligan are among market leaders.In October, NanoH2O was recognized for the second straight year in the 2010 Global Cleantech 100. Produced by the Cleantech Group in collaboration with the Guardian, the list highlights 100 of the world’s most promising private cleantech companies predicted to make a significant market impact in the next five to 10 years. NanoH2O was selected from 4,616 nominations from 50 countries by an international panel of 60 cleantech experts.All are good for improving water taste and decreasing odors, with some also designed to filter out lead, chemicals and potential health risks like bacteria. Before purchasing a unit, check with your community's local water utility or have your water quality checked. Then you can look into a water treatment system that will meet your filtration, budget and lifestyle needs.While the primary consumer concern is to eliminate water odor and improve taste, which usually means filtering out chlorine, other materials buyers want to filter out can include minerals and chemicals (lead, lindone, atrazine, mercury, turbidity, arsenic), microscopic cysts (cryptosporidium and giardia), and other bacteria.Cons: Initial cost on these units starts at $175, depending on choice of style, function and finish. But over the long run, they can actually save money compared to purchasing bottled water. In fact, they can produce filtered water for 95 percent less per gallon than the bottled kind.In September, NanoH2O won the prestigious Wall Street Journal 2010 Technology Innovation Award in the environment category. The award honored NanoH2O for its innovative membrane technology designed to significantly reduce the amount of energy required to desalinate seawater. In the award’s 10th year, The Wall Street Journal received nearly 600 nominations from 30 countries.
• Undermount systems: These models directly connect to the water supply lines and fit under the sink in the kitchen or bathroom.Whey protein concentrate (WPC) is the next step up from caseinate and it comes from the liquid left over during the cheese making process (whey). In its raw form whey contains lactose, fat, salt, and other proteins. Originally all whey protein was made from whey sources left over from the manufacturing of cheese. If supplement manufacturers use this lower quality source of raw materials, harsh acids have been used to separate whey from casein resulting in a lower quality whey protein supplement.Because of the many benefits of the differing types of protein that we will cover in this article, most protein supplement manufacturers �blend� or combine proteins for specific purposes ranging from slow gastric emptying time for meal replacement purposes, or quick emptying time for post workout recovery. It is these different blends that can also make a product superior or low quality, depending on the differing qualities and quantities of the proteins used in their blends. The protein yield formula described above CAN and SHOULD be used in single source as well as multi source proteins as long as they DO NOT contain a considerable amount of carbohydrates, fats, fiber, creatine, etc., as these other components will cause the formula to yield a lower and less desired protein per serving value or number. High quality supplements will use WPC with at least 80% protein content.
• Reverse osmosis systems: Available as under-the-sink or whole-house conditioning systems, these are multi-filter devices which push the water through a series of membranes to achieve filtration and require a separate water spigot.The study also noted a significant increase in both the uses of bottled water and home water treatment devices (the latter now up to 41 percent compared to 38 percent in 1999, and up from 32 percent in 1997). Respondents said they purchased and used filtration devices because they not only wanted to improve the taste of their tap water, but also because they believed it was safer.Ask any bodybuilder about protein, and they will tell you that �Whey is King.� Unfortunately, that is about as far as most people's knowledge about protein goes, and most athletes and fitness enthusiasts, have no idea why whey is the best source of protein or that there are differing qualities and benefits from different types of whey protein.

  For more information about Moen's PureTouch filtering faucet and PureTouch AquaSuite, contact Moen Incorporated at 25300 Al Moen Drive, North Olmsted, Ohio 44070-8022, call toll free 1 (877) DRINK-H2O (877-374-6542) or visit its Web sites at www.pure-touch.com or www.moen.com.

  
  
  
  Author: ARA Content