BCAA is an abbreviation for the English term Branch-Chain Amino Acids. These are the protein molecules (lat. amino acids) valine, leucine and isoleucine.
These are linked together in a long chain and form a branched network of many molecules. Amino acids can be divided into essential and non-essential amino acids. Essential amino acids must be taken in with food, as they cannot be produced by the body itself.
Essential amino acids include valine, leucine and isoleucine. For this reason they should be taken in through food. The BCAA powder is one of several ways to absorb BCAAs. In addition, the powder form of BCAAs can be stored well and is available almost everywhere. In general, BCAAs play an important role in muscle metabolism and are therefore particularly interesting for athletes.
What are available for manufacturers?
The body can produce non-essential amino acids itself. However, essential amino acids must be taken in with food, such as BCAAs. Foods that contain a lot of BCAAs are wheat, soy milk, corn, oats, millet, chicken, beef, tuna, wild salmon, etc.
Athletes who would like to take BCAAs in powder form can choose from the following manufacturers: ESN offers BCAA powder in the form of ESN Nitro BCAA Powder sold to Weider® sells its powder as Weider® Premium BCAA Powder MyProtein® offers its own brand BCAA Olimp® BCAA Mega Caps 1100 Scitec Nutrition® sells BCAA 6400 Powder Nu3 offers its BCAA powder Ultra Tec BCAA Powder These manufacturers are considered to be the largest and best known producers. Of course there are other manufacturers offering BCAA powder. The mentioned variants are the most common on the market and can therefore be bought without any problems. Questions about small differences in composition should be answered satisfactorily by the sales staff and employees of the manufacturers. – ESN offers BCAA powder in the form of ESN Nitro BCAA Powder
- Weider® sells its powder as Weider® Premium BCAA Powder
- MyProtein® offers its own brand BCAA
- Olimp® BCAA Mega Caps 1100
- Scitec Nutrition® sells BCAA 6400 powder
- Nu3 offers its BCAA powder
- Ultra Tec BCAA powder
Are there tested products?
At the beginning of the fitness “hype” the market was flooded with dietary supplements and many of these products had not yet been tested. For example, allergic reactions caused by impurities were quite common. For this reason, more and more BCAA powder products began to be tested.
Meanwhile these tests take place annually, because every manufacturer wants to declare his product as “the best”. This is a positive development for the athletes, because tested products are safe and do not pose any health risks. These tests are carried out on different platforms and divided into different categories.
The price/performance ratio and composition are evaluated in particular. In one test in 2017 Scitec BCAAs, ESN Nitro BCAA Powder and Olimp BCAA Powder were tested and the following result was shown: ESN BCAA Powder is the best tested product among the BCAA powders at a medium price. ESN Nitro BCAA Powder ranks second with only one point behind and a lower price. Olimp BCAA Powder is the most expensive and unfortunately has the worst rating of all tested products.
