Protein Quality And What It Means | Lecture #95

About this video

• Video Title: Protein Quality And What It Means | Lecture #95
• Channel: RP University
• Speakers: Dr. Mike
• Duration: 00:13:34

Overview

This video explains the concept of protein quality and how it's measured. It details two key metrics: Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER), which measures how much protein is digested and absorbed, and Biological Value (BV), which indicates how much of the absorbed protein is used for tissue building versus energy. These combine to form the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAA). The lecture also discusses how different food sources rank in terms of protein quality and introduces the idea of complementary protein sources.

Key takeaways

• Protein quality is determined by how much of it is digested and absorbed (PER) and how much of that absorbed protein is used for bodily tissues versus energy (BV).
• The PDCAA scale combines PER and BV to provide a comprehensive measure of protein quality, with egg protein typically used as a benchmark (score of 100).
• Animal proteins and soy generally score high on the PDCAA scale (above 90), while plant-based sources like peas and beans have moderate scores, and gluten can have a very low score depending on preparation.
• Combining lower-quality protein sources (like beans and rice) can create a "complete protein" with a higher overall quality due to complementary amino acid profiles.
• While high PDCAA scores are beneficial, focusing on getting a significant portion (around 70%) of daily protein from high-quality sources is generally sufficient, as the body has some adaptability in utilizing amino acids.