EVALUATION OF PROTEIN IN FOODS: IV. A SIMPLIFIED CHEMICAL SCORE

Abstract

Available evidence has shown that most common foods are deficient in lysine, methionine, or in methionine and cystine. Based on the determination of these amino acids, a simplified chemical score was developed and compared with protein efficiency ratio (P.E.R.) values determined with the same samples. Each of 43 foods was assigned to either of two categories: (a) foods apparently deficient in lysine or (b) in methionine (+ cystine). With 16 foods in the former group there was a high degree of correlation between lysine concentration and P.E.R. With 27 foods in the latter group, a good correlation was found between the methionine (+ cystine) concentration and P.E.R. Since the regression lines for the two groups were different, a factor was added to the methionine (+ cystine) values to simplify the relationship. That foods deficient in lysine or in methionine (+ cystine) fell into two distinct groups appeared to be substantiated by data available in the literature. Because the simplified method is relatively rapid, yields reproducible results, and correlates with animal assays, it is proposed as a rapid screening procedure for the evaluation of protein in foods, but is not intended to replace the rat bio-assay method.