Defining the Quality of Plant-Based Proteins: Challenges and Opportunities for Pulses

Consumers are demanding foods with higher contents of quality protein, particularly plant-based proteins. Additionally, national dietary guidelines are emphasizing the importance of plant-based proteins for the human diet, as part of an overall strategy to encourage dietary patterns deemed to be more conducive to optimal human health. These patterns can include protein-rich, whole foods, as well as processed foods low in saturated fat, sugar and sodium. In Canada and the United States, positioning foods to consumers as being rich sources of protein requires substantiation of the quality of the protein in question. Protein quality, in general, is a function of 1) how well the amino acid pattern of the food matches human amino acid needs; and 2) the extent to which amino acids are digested, absorbed and ultimately made available to meet the needs of the consumer. This webinar will provide an overview of the current and proposed methods positioned to measure protein quality, and summarize the impact of various parameters on protein quality with a primary focus on pulses. The latter includes processing, blending, varietal selection, agronomic factors, and factors related to the consumer (ie: age). Learning Objectives: 1. To understand how protein quality is measured and how it influences allowable protein content claims on foods; 2. To provide an overview of the factors influencing protein quality of pulses About the Presenter: Dr. James D. House is Professor and Head of the Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB. He has authored or co-authored 275 publications, book chapters and conference abstracts/proceedings, in areas related to nutrition and metabolism, including those linked to the study of factors influencing plant protein quality.