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MINI REVIEW article

Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition Methodology
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1437853
This article is part of the Research Topic Dietary Protein for Human Health View all 19 articles

EVOLUTION AND SIGNIFICANCE OF AMINO ACID SCORES FOR PROTEIN QUALITY

Provisionally accepted
Claire Gaudichon Claire Gaudichon *
  • Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, INRAE, UMR PNCA, Palaiseau, France

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Amino acid scores have become very popular protein quality scores since their definition and recommendation by FAO expert groups. The chemical score is the central pillar of this method, and has been refined with digestibility correction factors, such as protein digestibility for the PD-CAAS and amino acid digestibility for the DIAAS. Several elements need to be taken into account to properly determine these scores, not only from a methodological point of view but also in order to reconcile regulation, pragmatism, accuracy and also biological significance. This review offers a reminder of the main points raised in the FAO reports on protein and AA requirements in 1995 and 2007, and on protein quality in 1991 and 2013. It also highlights the factors that most impact score metrics, and in particular the choice of reference pattern and protein determination in the food. Lastly, the scores are compared, and versus another quality score based on the physiological response; the protein efficiency ratio.

    Keywords: Chemical score, Amino Acids, FAO, PD-CAAS, DIAAS

    Received: 24 May 2024; Accepted: 23 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Gaudichon. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Claire Gaudichon, Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, INRAE, UMR PNCA, Palaiseau, France

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