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. 2020 Aug 25;8(10):5379-5391.
doi: 10.1002/fsn3.1809. eCollection 2020 Oct.

Comprehensive overview of the quality of plant- And animal-sourced proteins based on the digestible indispensable amino acid score

Laure Herreman  1 , Paul Nommensen  1 , Bart Pennings  1 , Marc C Laus  1
Affiliations

Comprehensive overview of the quality of plant- And animal-sourced proteins based on the digestible indispensable amino acid score

Laure Herreman et al. Food Sci Nutr. .

Abstract

Indispensable amino acid (IAA) composition and standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of five animal- and 12 plant-based proteins were used to calculate their respective Digestible Indispensable Amino Score (DIAAS) according to the three age categories defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Mean IAA content and mean SID obtained from each protein dataset were subsequently used to simulate optimal nutritional quality of protein mixtures. Datasets revealed considerable variation in DIAAS within the same protein source and among different protein sources. Among the selected protein sources, and based on the 0.5- to 3-year-old reference pattern, pork meat, casein, egg, and potato proteins are classified as excellent quality proteins with an average DIAAS above 100. Whey and soy proteins are classified as high-quality protein with an average DIAAS ≥75. Gelatin, rapeseed, lupin, canola, corn, hemp, fava bean, oat, pea, and rice proteins are classified in the no quality claim category (DIAAS <75). Potato, soy, and pea proteins can complement a broad range of plant proteins, leading to higher DIAAS when supplied in the form of protein mixtures and at specific ratios. Such complementarity highlights the potential to achieve an optimal nutritional efficiency with plant proteins alone.

Keywords: DIAAS; digestibility; essential amino acids; sustainability; vegetable protein.

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Conflict of interest statement

L.H., P.N., B.P., and M.C.L. are employees of Avebe U.A.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Variation in DIAAS obtained from SID and IAA data available from pig intervention studies. DIAAS calculated for each scoring pattern as defined by FAO (2013): infant (0–0.5 years), children (0.5–3 years), and children older than 3 years, adolescents, and adults
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Average DIAAS of various protein sources according to the three reference pattern scores: infant (0–0.5 years), children (0.5–3 years), and children older than 3 years, adolescents, and adults. Error bars represent standard deviation
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Variation in digestible indispensable amino acid values and resulting DIAAS in pea/rice protein mixture. Illustration based on the average SID and average IAA composition obtained from pea protein and rice protein datasets. A maximum DIAAS of 84 can be obtained when 41% rice protein is composing the pea/rice protein mixture as indicated by the blue arrow
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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