Complete amino acid profile with NUTRALYS® pea protein
This article explains how to obtain a complete amino acid profile by combining NUTRALYS® pea protein and other botanical origin proteins.
Definition / Abbreviations
AA: Amino Acid
AAS: Amino Acid Score
AAS=(mg of limiting amino acid in 1g of test protein)/(mg of same amino acid in 1g of reference protein) * 100
FAO requirements
The FAO requirements for the values of AA for the reference protein are listed below:
| Europe and other regions | US* | ||
| Amino Acid (mg/g of protein) |
FAO/WHO 2007 AA requirements | FAO/WHO 1991 AA requirements |
|
| Adult | Children (3-10y) | Preschool (2-5y) children |
|
| Histidine | 15 | 16 | 19 |
| Isoleucine | 30 | 31 | 28 |
| Leucine | 59 | 61 | 66 |
| Valine | 39 | 40 | 35 |
| Lysine | 45 | 48 | 58 |
| Meth + Cyst. | 22 | 24 | 25 |
| Phenyl + Tyr | 38 | 41 | 63 |
| Threonine | 23 | 25 | 34 |
| Tryptophane | 6 | 6.6 | 11 |
*In the US, the FAO/WHO AAS pattern for preschool children (1991) is used to evaluate protein quality for all age groups except infants.
Typical composition of NUTRALYS® pea protein
| Amino Acid | Typical data of NUTRALYS® pea protein mg in 1g of protein (N*6.25) |
| Aspartic Acid | 115 |
| Glutamine Acid | 167 |
| Alanine | 43 |
| Arginine | 87 |
| Cysteine | 10 |
| Glycine | 40 |
| Histidine | 25 |
| Isoleucine | 47 |
| Leucine | 82 |
| Lysine | 71 |
| Methionine | 11 |
| Phenylalanine | 55 |
| Proline | 43 |
| Serine | 51 |
| Threonine | 38 |
| Tyrosine | 38 |
| Valine | 50 |
| Tryptophane | 10 |
In bold are the 9 essential amino acids that cannot be synthesized by the body and should be obtained by nutrition.
Example: NUTRALYS® Amino Acid Score in Europe (and other regions except US) for adults
Applying the AAS calculation (see definition above)
| NUTRALYS® pea protein amino acid profile |
Europe and other regions | ||
| Amino Acid (mg/g of protein) |
Typical data mg in 1g protein (N*6.25) |
FAO/WHO 2007 AA requirements |
NUTRALYS® Amino Acid Score |
| Adult | |||
| Histidine | 25 | 15 | 167 |
| Isoleucine | 47 | 30 | 157 |
| Leucine | 82 | 59 | 139 |
| Valine | 50 | 39 | 128 |
| Lysine | 71 | 45 | 158 |
| Meth + Cyst. | 21 | 22 | 95 |
| Phenyl + Tyr | 93 | 38 | 245 |
| Threonine | 38 | 23 | 165 |
| Tryptophane | 10 | 6 | 167 |
Limiting amino acid to consider in NUTRALYS® pea protein is methionine + cysteine.
Note: With the same methodology, AAS of NUTRALYS® pea protein for the US (all ages except infants) is 84.
Formulation to reach a complete Amino Acid Score
The idea is to find another plant protein with a higher content of “methionine + cysteine.”
Considering other essential amino acid content remains important to check the final combination AAS.
Blend of Proteins: X% protein A + Y% protein B (Where X+Y=100%)
AAS of blend= ((X%*mg of limiting AA in 1g of protein A)+(Y%*mg of limiting AA in 1g of protein B))/(mg of same amino acid in 1g of reference protein) * 100
As soon as AAS > 100, it can be considered as complete.
NUTRALYS® wheat protein is a good candidate to achieve this goal.
Example of a blend made with 84% of NUTRALYS® pea protein and 16% of NUTRALYS® wheat protein
| NUTRALYS® pea protein amino acid profile |
NUTRALYS® wheat protein amino acid profile |
Europe and other regions | ||
| Amino Acid (mg/g of protein) |
Typical data mg in 1g protein (N*6.25) |
Typical data mg in 1g protein (N*6.25) |
FAO/WHO 2007 AA requirements | BLEND Amino Acid Score |
| Adult | ||||
| Histidine | 25 | 20 | 15 | 161 |
| Isoleucine | 47 | 34 | 30 | 150 |
| Leucine | 82 | 67 | 59 | 135 |
| Valine | 50 | 38 | 39 | 123 |
| Lysine | 71 | 14 | 45 | 137 |
| Meth + Cyst. | 21 | 35 | 22 | 105 |
| Phenyl + Tyr | 93 | 87 | 38 | 242 |
| Threonine | 38 | 26 | 23 | 157 |
| Tryptophane | 10 | 10 | 6 | 167 |
Conclusion
Each amino acid’s score is greater than 100, including methionine and cysteine. As expected, the blend made with 84% of NUTRALYS® pea protein and 16% of NUTRALYS® wheat protein provides a complete amino acid profile and can be used in your formulations.
We can provide you with some applicative examples. Do not hesitate to inquire.