Biological value of protein

The body needs only 20 different amino acids to produce more than 50,000 proteins. The blueprints for proteins are provided by the cell's DNA, or genetic material.

Of the Of 20 amino acids, 9 amino acids cannot be produced by the body – the essential (indispensable) amino acids. These amino acids must be consumed regularly through food.

Proteins have very different compositions of amino acids – some compositions are better than others.

The biological value provides information about the quality of the respective proteins. Even the most common protein sources have different biological values: eggs, potatoes and legumes or milk, meat, fish and cereals.

Amino acids and biological value

To better understand the biological value of amino acids, many nutritionists like to use the image of a puzzle to illustrate it:

Imagine a 4-piece puzzle with one red, one green, one blue, and one white piece. Then a pile with one red, 83 green, 64 white, and 61 blue pieces. Despite the abundance, the entire 4-piece puzzle can only be put together once – the white piece is the bottleneck!

The same applies to essential amino acids—the white pieces of the puzzle! What's crucial is not the total amount of protein, but the composition of the protein—that is, the combination of amino acids (biological value).

Eat a balanced diet

In a balanced diet, several nutrients are consumed together. Amino acids from different proteins are mixed.

In the Mediterranean diet (i.e. quasi vegetarian or pesco-vegetarian), for example, certain animal proteins (fish, milk, eggs, etc.) and plant proteins (cereals, pulses, potatoes, etc.) are mixed and thus enhanced.

A biological value of over 100 is common with such blends, and you can get by with significantly less total protein. This is advantageous, as large amounts of protein place a strain on the cardiovascular system and kidneys.

The higher the biological value or quality of a protein, the less protein is needed to meet a person's protein needs.

Conclusion

In a completely normal and varied diet, which consists of many different foods, we need so as not to worry too much about the protein quality of our diet .

Those who follow a purely plant-based diet (vegan) and completely avoid animal products should ensure they have sufficient protein intake. A one-sided, vegan diet usually only offers mediocre coverage in the long run.

Vegans should attach great importance to pulses, because beans, lentils and peas are not only good sources of protein. The legumes also contain the Amino acid lysine , which is often neglected. Grains, on the other hand, provide the amino acid (methionine) in larger quantities. This also allows for a sufficient, long-term increase in biological value. Peas and hemp seeds are also excellent sources of high-quality protein.