Abstract
Protein digestibility is currently a hot research topic and is of big interest to the food industry. Different scoring methods have been developed to describe protein quality. Cereal protein scores are typically low due to a suboptimal amino acid profile and low protein digestibility. Protein digestibility is a result of both external and internal factors. Examples of external factors are physical inaccessibility due to entrapment in e.g., intact cell structures and the presence of antinutritional factors. The main internal factors are the amino acid sequence of the proteins and protein folding and crosslinking. Processing of food is generally designed to increase the overall digestibility through affecting these external and internal factors. However, with proteins, processing may eventually also lead to a decrease in digestibility. In this review, protein digestion and digestibility are discussed with emphasis on the proteins of (pseudo)cereals.
Highlights
Proteins are abundantly present in all living cells, and as such are a vital part of our diet
In order to be usable to the human body after ingestion, dietary proteins have to be hydrolysed into their basic building blocks, i.e., amino acids or small peptides
In what follows the internal and external factors contributing to differences in protein digestibility, and the effect of processing on cereal protein digestibility will be highlighted
Summary
Proteins are abundantly present in all living cells, and as such are a vital part of our diet. Amino acid profiles may be determined using chromatographic techniques, either relying on ion exchange or polarity differences between the amino acids [4] In their native state, proteins are typically folded in a specific conformation driven by the unique amino acid composition of the protein. To illustrate the role of ingredient choice and processing in determining food digestibility, the digestibility of proteins in diets from developing and developed countries can be compared. Food processing triggers (usually destructive) alterations in molecular and supramolecular structures to allow digestive enzymes to gain easier access to the nutrients/biopolymers, improving food digestibility. Heating, exposure to strong acid and/or alkaline conditions, and the presence of organic molecules and emulsifiers usually leads to conformational changes and, if severe enough, even to irreversible loss of protein folding or molecular scission. After assessing the effect of processing on the digestibility of ((pseudo)cereal) proteins, the role of indigestible peptides in celiac disease is discussed before concluding with a few future research priorities
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