Is Optimum Nutrition Protein powder ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- Flavouring
- Milk proteins
- E322 Lecithins
- E415 Xanthan gum
- E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose
- E950 Acesulfame k
- and 1 more
- 12 ingredients
- 6 additives
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1 ingredient · no additives
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1
-
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Unflavored plant based protein
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Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
Protein blend (whey protein isolate (ultra-processing marker), whey protein (ultra-processing marker), whey peptides), natural and artificial flavor (ultra-processing marker), lecithin (ultra-processing marker), cellulose gum (ultra-processing marker), xanthan gum (ultra-processing marker), salt (processing marker), sucralose (ultra-processing marker), acesulfame potassium (ultra-processing marker), lactase
Additives: E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E415 Xanthan gum , E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose , E950 Acesulfame k , E955 Sucralose
As written on the pack
Protein blend (whey protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, whey peptides), natural and artificial flavor, lecithin, cellulose gum, xanthan gum, salt, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, lactase
What makes it ultra-processed
Cosmetic additives
Added to change how the food looks, feels or tastes, not to keep it safe. A hallmark of ultra-processed food.
- E322 Lecithins Lecithins are fatty substances extracted mostly from soybeans, sunflower seeds or eggs, used as emulsifiers to keep fat and water mixed, for example in chocolate.
- E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
- E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose Carboxymethyl cellulose is a thickener made by chemically modifying cellulose from wood or cotton.
- E950 Acesulfame k Acesulfame K is a synthetic sweetener about 200 times sweeter than sugar, often combined with aspartame or sucralose.
- E955 Sucralose Sucralose is a sweetener made by chlorinating sugar.
- Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
Substances rarely used in home kitchens
Refined or extracted in factories, such as syrups made from starch or isolated proteins. The other hallmark of ultra-processed food.
- Milk proteins Milk proteins are proteins separated from milk, such as caseinates and whey protein concentrates, added to adjust texture or raise protein content.
1 ingredient that would only make it processed
Kitchen staples like sugar, salt and oil. On their own they make a food processed, not ultra-processed.
- Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Among 150 protein powders
From least to most processed, this one ranks 124th. 95% of the protein powders here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0748927065404, last edited 12 August 2026), available under the Open Database License. If something is wrong or the recipe has changed, you can correct it there.
- Photo: Open Food Facts contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0.
- The NOVA group is an automated estimate from crowdsourced data: a missing or mistyped ingredient can change it.
- General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.