The quality of protein in various lines of peas

Abstract

1. The protein quality as evaluated by nitrogen incorporation efficiency (NIE) and protein efficiency ratio (PER) was determined for twenty-eight breeding lines of peas (Pisum sativum L.) which had been grown under similar field conditions.2. Different lines of peas, when given as the sole source of protein to weanling rats at a 10 % level in an otherwise adequate diet, varied from 18 to 78% of that of casein in their ability to support growth and nitrogen retention. There was close correlation between PER and NIE values.3. From analysis of rat growth curves, the pea lines were separated into those that produced fairly good growth and those that barely maintained the initial body-weight. However, growth rate alone did not rank pea lines in the same order as PER or NIE.4. Carcass protein, as a percentage of body-weight, was higher in pea-fed (20.4%) than in casein-fed rats (18.8%).This was probably associated with a difference in body fat content.5. There was no correlation between protein quality and the protein content of the different pea lines.