PROBLEM 3: Dietary proteins
During one of lecture sessions on dietary nutrients, the lecturer emphasized the importance of
protein quality. She noted that the nutritional quality of a protein is dependent upon the content
of essential amino acids and its digestibility. Protein quality can be assessed by measuring the
nitrogen balance, biological value (BV), net protein utilization (NPU) and protein efficiency ratio
(PER). Proteins of different foods have different proportions of essential amino acids. Majority
of the plant proteins often have a limiting amino acid. There is a recommended dietary
requirement for each of the essential amino acids. If these requirements are not met, the nitrogen
balance cannot be maintained and the biological value, NPU and PER of such a protein will be
low. This drives the body into a state of protein malnutrition. Protein supplementation is often
important.
Course Objective: To assess the nutritional quality of a protein.
THEME: Protein Quality
Learning issues
1. What is meant by protein quality?
2. What factors affect the nutritional quality of a protein?
3. What are essential amino acids?
4. What is a limiting amino acid?
5. What is the effect of a limiting amino acid on protein quality?
6. What are the methods used in assessment of protein quality?
7. What is the biological value (BV), net protein utilization (NPU) and protein efficiency
ratio (PER) of the different food proteins?
8. What are the good quality or poor quality proteins?
9. How can the quality of protein of a vegetarian diet be improved?
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. To explain factors affecting the nutritional quality of a protein.
2. To define essential and limiting amino acids.
3. To explain the effect of limiting amino acids on protein quality.
4. To describe methods used in assessment of protein quality.
5. To outline the biological value (BV), net protein utilization (NPU) and protein efficiency
ratio (PER) of the different food proteins.
6. To describe protein supplementation.
Problem notes
Protein quality
Essential amino acid content determines quality of a protein. An ideal or a good quality protein is
one which has amino acid composition of body protein synthesized at any given time. Further an
ideal protein must meet essential amino acid requirement. Unfortunately ideal proteins or good
quality proteins are limited.
Limiting amino acid
Proteins of different foods have different proportions of essential amino acids. Some of them
may contain required amounts of essential amino acid and few of them may not have adequate
amounts of one or more of essential amino acids. An essential amino acid of a protein which is
present much below requirement is called as limiting amino acid. Except soya, most of the plant
proteins contain a limiting amino acid.
Examples;
(a) Tryptophan is the limiting amino acid in maize, and sorghum.
(b) Lysine and threonine are limiting amino acids in cereal protein such as barley, corn, oats,
sorghum, rice, wheat, maize.
(c) Methionine is the limiting amino acid in peanut protein, green leafy vegetables and legumes.
(And others)
Due to limiting amino acid quality of protein decreases.
Effect of limiting amino acid on protein utilization
When tissue proteins are synthesized, all the essential amino acids must be present in proper
proportions in tissues. If one essential amino acid is absent in tissues due to lack of dietary
supply protein synthesis decreases and nitrogen balance is not maintained. Moreover, the
biological value of a protein with a limiting amino acid is low.
Protein Supplementation
One way of improving quality of dietary protein with limiting amino acid is by adding another
protein containing the missing amino acid. This is termed as protein supplementation. For
example cereal proteins are limiting in lysine where as milk proteins are good source of this
amino acid. Thus milk protein effectively supplements cereal proteins. Protein supplementation
has important role in preparation of vegetarian balanced diet. Supplementation of wheat bread
with lysine is commonly done.
Complementary proteins and mutual supplementation of proteins
Complementary proteins are poor quality proteins as such due to limiting amino acids. But they
are complementary in limiting essential amino acid composition i.e., a limiting essential amino
acid in one protein is present in excess amounts in another protein and vice versa. So they
supplement each other and make good quality protein in diet. This is known as mutual
supplementation of proteins. For example wheat proteins and red gram proteins are
complementary proteins and as such both are low quality proteins due to limiting amino acid.
Wheat protein is limiting in lysine but good source of tryptophan whereas red gram is limiting in
tryptophan but a good source of lysine. When they are mixed they make up good quality protein
in diet by supplementing one another i.e., wheat protein effectively supplement pulse protein and
vice versa.
Complementary vegetable proteins form the basis of vegetarian balanced diet. Because of mutual
supplementation, the net quality of mixture of proteins is higher than the quality of single
protein.
Recommended dietary allowance for protein and amino acids
For adults daily intake of 55-80 gm (1 gm/kg body weight) of protein has been recommended.
Extra amounts are required by pregnant and lactating women.
Minimal daily amino acid requirement of adult male are methionine (16.3 mg/kg), threonine (7
mg/kg), tryptophan (4 mg/kg), valine (11 mg/kg), isoleucine (10 mg/kg), leucine (16 mg/kg),
lysine (11 mg/kg) and phenylalanine (16.4 mg/kg).
Methods to assess protein quality
Few biological methods are available to assess protein quality.
1. Nitrogen balance
If a protein is unable to maintain nitrogen balance then it is a poor quality protein. However
nitrogen balance does not indicate anything about digestibility, essential amino acid content and
assimilation of products of digestion. Usually good quality protein maintain nitrogen balance if
taken in adequate amounts.
Nitrogen balance N intake - N output
2. Biological value (BV)
The biological value of a protein measures the quantity of dietary protein used by animal for
growth and maintenance of body function. It is defined as percentage of absorbed nitrogen that is
retained by the body.
Biological value BV= N retained/ N absorbed x 100
Biological value of protein may also indicate essential amino acid content, digestibility of protein
and availability of digested products for absorption. Biological values for some proteins are
given in the table that follows;
3. Net protein utilization (NPU)
Biological value of protein does not cover nitrogen lost in digestion. In net protein utilization, it
is included. It is defined as percentage of dietary nitrogen that is retained in the body.
Net protein utilization= N retained/ N intake x 100
NPU value of some proteins is given in table that follows.
4. Protein efficiency ratio (PER)
It is a better index of protein quality than biological value. It is defined as weight gain per weight
of protein eaten.
PER= Weight gain (gm)/ Weight of dietary protein (gm)
PER value of some proteins are given in table below.
BV, NPU and PER of some food proteins
Food protein BV NPU PER
Eggs 96 91 4.5
Milk 84 75 3.0
Meat 80 74 2.8
Rice 64 47 2.0
Wheat 58 46 1.7
Legumes 57 45 1.6
Ground nuts 54 45 1.6
Depending on BV, NPV and PER values proteins can be divided into
(a) Good quality proteins
(b) Low quality proteins
(a) Good quality proteins. Animal proteins are good quality proteins because they have high
BV, NPU and PER values. They are egg, milk and meat proteins.
(b) Low quality proteins. Plant proteins are low quality proteins because they have low BV,
NPU and PER values. The plant proteins have low values because they are not digested
(absorbed) completely due to several factors and always have a limiting amino acid.