Evaluation of Nutritional Profiles and Protein Quality of Major Food Crops and Their Cultivars for Protein Supplement Development

Yu-Young Lee; Mihyang Kim; Hyun-Joo Kim; Jin-Young Lee; Narae Han; You-Geun Oh; Hye Young Park; Ha Young Park; HaeWon Park; Su-Young Hong

doi:10.7740/kjcs.2025.70.4.376

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2025 Vol.70, Issue 4 Preview Page Next Page

Original Research Article

Evaluation of Nutritional Profiles and Protein Quality of Major Food Crops and Their Cultivars for Protein Supplement Development 단백질 보충소재 적용을 위한 주요 식량작물과 품종별 영양성분 및 단백질 품질 특성

1 December 2025. pp. 376-388

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Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the nutritional composition and protein quality characteristics of 28 cultivars from 12 major crops to identify potential plant-based protein sources for preventing sarcopenia. The proximate composition, fatty acid profile, amino acid composition, and protein qualities such as amino acid score, first limiting amino acid, digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) were analyzed. Crude protein contents were higher in peanut, sesame, perilla, and soybean. Oat and amaranth exhibited relatively higher lipid contents than other crops, while sesame and perilla showed high ash contents. The cereal crops such as foxtail millet, proso millet, and sorghum contained higher carbohydrate levels. Among omega-3 fatty acids known to activate muscle protein synthesis, perilla showed the highest α-linolenic acid content (43.3%), followed by red bean, cowpea, and mung bean, indicating that these crops are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Total and essential amino acid contents were abundant in perilla, soybean, and sesame, and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) such as leucine, isoleucine, and valine, which are directly involved in muscle synthesis, were also high. In the protein quality evaluation, the first limiting amino acids were lysine or cysteine+methionine. PDCAAS values were highest in soybean (‘Daewonkong’ 0.85), perilla (‘Deulsaem’ 0.77), and red bean (‘Arari’ 0.71). These findings suggest that perilla and soybean proteins, rich in BCAAs and α-linolenic acid, possess high protein quality and can be utilized as promising raw materials for developing protein supplements and functional food products.

Keywords

amino acid composition

branched-chain amino acids

crops

PDCAAS

sarcopenia prevention

α-linolenic acid

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Information

Publisher :The Korean Society of Crop Science
Publisher(Ko) :한국작물학회
Journal Title :The Korean Journal of Crop Science
Journal Title(Ko) :한국작물학회지
Volume : 70
No :4
Pages :376-388
Received Date : 2025-11-06
Revised Date : 2025-11-18
Accepted Date : 2025-11-19
DOI :https://doi.org/10.7740/kjcs.2025.70.4.376

The Korean Journal of Crop Science ISSN:0252-9777(Print) 2287-8432(Online) 한국작물학회지

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