Abstract
Almonds (Prunus dulcis), such as all nuts, are positioned within the protein foods grouping within the current U.S. Dietary Guidelines. The ability to make claims related to the protein content of almonds, within the United States, requires substantiation via the use of the Protein Digestibility‐Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS). The present study was designed to provide current estimates of PDCAAS, using both in vivo and in vitro assays, of key almond varietals from the 2017 California harvest. Additionally, historical protein and amino acid composition data on 73 separate analyses, performed from 2000 to 2014, were analyzed. Amino acid analysis confirmed lysine as the first‐limiting amino acid, generating amino acid scores of 0.53, 0.52, 0.49, and 0.56 for Butte, Independence, Monterey, and Nonpareil varietals, respectively. True fecal protein digestibility coefficients ranged from 85.7% to 89.9% yielding PDCAAS values of 44.3–47.8, being highest for Nonpareil. Similar, albeit lower, results were obtained from the in vitro assessment protocol. Analysis of the historical data again positioned lysine as the limiting amino acid and yielded information on the natural variability present within the protein and amino acid profiles of almonds. Comparison of the 2017 AA profile, averaged across almond varietals, to the historical data provided strong evidence of persistence of amino acid composition and indices of protein quality over time.
Highlights
In the current United States dietary guidelines (U.S Department of Health & Human Services, 2015), nuts fit within all of the currently recommended healthy dietary patterns, including the U.S.‐ style Healthy Eating Pattern, the Healthy Mediterranean‐Style Eating Pattern, and the Healthy Vegetarian Eating Pattern
Almonds (Prunus dulcis) contain 21.2% protein by weight, with one 30 g serving of almonds providing 6.3 g of protein (Ahrens, Venkatachalam, Mistry, Lapsley, & Sathe, 2005; USDA, 2018)
The objectives of the current study were as follows: (a) to determine the Protein Digestibility‐Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) of 4 almond varietals and (b) to summarize historical protein and AA composition data on almonds gathered over 15 years, as generated by commercial laboratories
Summary
In the current United States dietary guidelines (U.S Department of Health & Human Services, 2015), nuts fit within all of the currently recommended healthy dietary patterns, including the U.S.‐ style Healthy Eating Pattern, the Healthy Mediterranean‐Style Eating Pattern, and the Healthy Vegetarian Eating Pattern. For each of these dietary patterns, nuts are positioned within the protein foods groups, due to their relative protein density. Almonds (Prunus dulcis) contain 21.2% protein by weight, with one 30 g serving of almonds providing 6.3 g of protein (Ahrens, Venkatachalam, Mistry, Lapsley, & Sathe, 2005; USDA, 2018). The latter represents approximately 16.6% and 13.4% of the Estimated Average Requirement for adult women and men, respectively (IOM, 2005)
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