Initial investigation of dietitian perception of plant-based protein quality.

Interest in plant-based diets is increasing, evidenced by scientific and regulatory recommendations, including Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Dietitians provide guidance in dietary protein selection but little is known about how familiar dietitians are with the quality of plant versus animal proteins or methods for measuring protein quality. Likewise, there is a need to explore their beliefs related to dietary recommendations.

Consumption of stearidonic acid-rich oil in foods increases red blood cell eicosapentaenoic acid.

Background: Consumption of soybean oil enriched with stearidonic acid was previously shown to increase eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in red blood cells (RBC).

Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the effect of stearidonic acid oil used as a food ingredient in baked products and beverages on the RBC fatty acid profile.

Design: This was a randomized, double-blind, controlled, parallel-arm study.

Protein digestibility-corrected amino acid scores (PDCAAS) for soy protein isolates and concentrate: criteria for evaluation.

Protein quality, as determined by the PDCAAS method, is a measure of a protein's ability to provide adequate levels of essential amino acids for human needs. PDCAAS is calculated using an amino acid profile and true digestibility of a food protein. Soy protein is recognized as a high quality plant protein, but published PDCAAS values may vary based on the soy protein ingredient as well as the reproducibility and accuracy of the testing methods.