4 - Rice proteins and essential amino acids

Abstract

Cereals are crops grown in the largest quantities and the most important crops for human consumption. In 2014, the sum of the grain yields of the three major cereal crops (maize, wheat, and rice) was 2.5billion tons, constituting approximately 90% of the total global production of cereals in that year (http://www.fao.org/faostat/). The yield of these crops is much larger than the yields of the major legume crops (soybean and pea; 318million tons total). Rice seed protein is an important source of nutrition and energy for 50% of the world's population, for whom rice has long been a staple diet. The protein content of rice, at approximately 7%, is relatively low compared with that of other cereal grains. However, because of the huge quantity of rice produced worldwide (approximately 741million tons annually), a considerable amount of rice protein is potentially available.