Abstract
The present study evaluates the green biomass of Jerusalem artichoke (JA) as an alternative green protein. A leaf protein concentrate (LPC) was prepared from leafy shoots using biotechnological methods. Seven clones were compared to assess the importance of the genetic basis of JA, and alfalfa served as the control. The LPC content of JA was an average 39 g kg−1 of fresh biomass, while that of alfalfa was 32 g kg−1. The JA can produce up to 936 kg of protein ha−1 year−1 without fertilization under rainfed conditions. The crude protein content of the LPC varied from 24.2 to 31.4 m/m%, depending on clones and harvesting time, which was comparable to that of alfalfa LPC (~ 32.3%). The amino acid profile of the LPC of JA, particularly of the essential amino acids, was similar to alfalfa and soybean. In addition, our results confirmed that the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content varied between 64 and 68% in the LPC fraction, regardless of the clone that was used, with linoleic acid and linolenic acid being the predominant PUFAs. In addition, unlike alfalfa, the content of arachidonic acid was 0.5% in the JA LPC. The tuber yield was significantly reduced because of the repeated harvesting of the shoot parts; however, the tubers obtained were sufficient to regenerate the plantation in the subsequent year, thus ensuring the renewable ability and sustainability of the green biomass of JA.
Highlights
Together with the inevitable decline in fossil fuels and the increasing environmental problems stemming from the dramatic increase in the world’s population since the industrial revolution in the last century, securing the protein supply is one of the major problems of agriculture and civilization
Tubers of the Jerusalem artichoke (JA) clones were obtained from different sources, as follows: Kercaszomori, Rubik, and Tápiói sima were obtained from the Tápiószelei genebank, Hungary; Fuseau was brought from Ismailia, Egypt; Kalevala was kindly sent from Helsinki, Finland; and Alba and Piri were bought at a Hungarian market
Our results showed that the leaf protein concentrate (LPC) obtained from the green biomass of JA contains a high proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)
Summary
Together with the inevitable decline in fossil fuels and the increasing environmental problems stemming from the dramatic increase in the world’s population since the industrial revolution in the last century, securing the protein supply is one of the major problems of agriculture and civilization. Maximizing the use of natural resources, such as agricultural. Crops and agricultural waste in particular, is an approach that can be used to address this question. Reducing the quantity of waste produced through optimal use of resources is newly referred to as “circular economy.”. The implementation of such a regenerative approach in a well-designed manner will undoubtedly contribute to, and ensure, the sustainability of environmental, social, and natural resources [1]. According to this approach, an increasing number of academic activities are focusing on protein production, from agricultural waste or biomass crops
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