Protein Quality

Question 1

-Depends on protein’s food source
– Animal proteins are 90-99% absorbed.
– Plant proteins are 70-90% absorbed.
– Soy and legumes are 90% absorbed.

Answer 1

Digestibility

Question 2

– The liver can produce nonessential amino acids.
– Cells must dismantle to produce essential amino acids if they are not provided in the diet.
– Limiting amino acids are those essential amino acids that are supplied in less than the amount needed to support protein synthesis.

Answer 2

Amino acid composition

Question 3

– Contains all the essential amino acids
– Animal foods contain all the essential amino acids.
– Plant foods are diverse in content and tend to be missing one or more essential amino acids.

Answer 3

High-quality proteins

Question 4

– Combining plant foods that together contain all the essential amino acids
– Used by vegetarians

Answer 4

Complementary proteins