Dante Carrillo
Biological value (BV) is a measure of the proportion of protein absorbed from food that is retained and used for protein synthesis in the body. It is calculated by measuring the ratio of nitrogen incorporated into the body to the amount of nitrogen absorbed. The higher the BV, the more efficiently the dietary protein can be converted into body protein. The biological value of a food depends on several factors, including its preparation, the health and recent diet of the organism, and species. The reference value for BV is that of a hen's egg, which has been given a score of 100.
Calculating the Biological Value for Protein in Diet
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | Biological Value (BV) is a measure of the proportion of absorbed protein from food that becomes incorporated into the proteins of an organism's body. |
| Purpose | BV is used to estimate how well the human body can utilize a particular protein source. |
| Formula | (Impacted Protein/Absorbed Protein) x 100 |
| Reference Value | Hen's egg, with a biological value of 100. |
| Factors Affecting BV | Age, weight, health, sex, recent diet, current metabolism, etc. |
| Limitations | BV does not consider the digestibility of the protein. Obtaining accurate values of BV is challenging and time-consuming. |
| Alternative Measures | Net Protein Utilization (NPU), Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER), True Digestibility (TD) |
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What You'll Learn
The role of dietary protein
Dietary protein is essential for maintaining good health. It is one of three primary macronutrients that provide energy to the human body, along with fats and carbohydrates. Proteins are also responsible for a large portion of the work that is done in cells, and they are necessary for the proper structure and function of tissues and organs.
Protein is the building block of life, and every cell in the human body contains it. It is needed in the diet to help the body repair cells and make new ones. It is also important for growth and development in children, teens, and pregnant women. The human body needs a number of amino acids in large enough amounts to maintain good health. Amino acids are found in animal sources such as meats, milk, fish, and eggs. They are also found in plant sources such as soy, beans, legumes, nut butters, and some grains (such as wheat germ and quinoa).
The amount of protein that the human body requires daily depends on various conditions, including overall energy intake, the growth of the individual, and physical activity level. The daily recommended intake of protein for healthy adults is 10% to 35% of their total calorie needs. The human body needs 20 different amino acids, and while some amino acids can be synthesized in the body, there are 9 essential amino acids that must be obtained from dietary sources. These essential amino acids are termed "complete protein sources" and include both animal and plant-based sources.
Biological value (BV) is a measure of the proportion of absorbed protein from food that becomes incorporated into the proteins of an organism's body. It captures how readily the digested protein can be used in protein synthesis in the cells of the organism. A high BV indicates that the amino acids occur in proportions that are highly compatible with the body's needs. The biological value of a food depends on a variety of factors, including its preparation and the recent diet of the organism.
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Essential amino acids
There are 20-22 amino acids in total, depending on the source. Of these, 9 are considered essential amino acids (EAAs) in humans, meaning they cannot be synthesised by the body and must be obtained from dietary sources. These 9 EAAs are:
- Valine
- Isoleucine
- Leucine
- Methionine
- Phenylalanine
- Tryptophan
- Threonine
- Histidine
- Lysine
The remaining amino acids are classified as non-essential, meaning they can be synthesised by the body in sufficient quantities. However, some amino acids are considered conditionally essential, meaning their synthesis can be limited under certain conditions, such as illness, pregnancy, infancy, or trauma. For example, arginine, glycine, and glutamine are considered conditionally essential.
The biological value (BV) of a protein source is a measure of the proportion of absorbed protein that becomes incorporated into the proteins of the body's cells. A high BV indicates that the amino acids in the protein source are in proportions that are highly compatible with the body's needs. If a protein source is missing critical EAAs, its BV will be low as the missing EAAs form a bottleneck in protein synthesis.
The BV of a food can be influenced by factors such as its preparation and the recent diet of the individual. It is also important to note that the BV of the same food can vary between different species. Therefore, while BV is relevant to human diets to some extent, it is not the only factor to consider when evaluating protein quality. Other methods, such as net protein utilisation (NPU) and protein efficiency ratio (PER), also provide valuable insights into the usability of proteins in the diet.
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Calculating biological value
Biological value (BV) is a measure of the proportion of protein absorbed from food that is retained and used for protein synthesis in the organism's body. It reflects the true protein quality and is calculated using the formula (ingested protein/absorbed protein) x 100. The higher the BV, the more efficiently the dietary protein can be converted into the body's protein.
The BV of a food depends on several factors, including its preparation and the recent diet of the organism. It is challenging to obtain accurate values for BV, and the process is time-consuming. To calculate the BV of a specific protein, the 'test organism' must only consume the protein or a mixture of proteins being evaluated while adhering to a strict 'test diet'. Fasting before testing increases the consistency of results by removing the variable of recent diet.
The biological value does not consider how easily the protein can be digested and absorbed, primarily by the small intestine. The amino acid composition is the principal factor influencing BV. All proteins are made up of combinations of 21 biological amino acids, 9 of which are essential amino acids (EAAs) that must be ingested through diet. If a protein source lacks critical EAAs, its biological value will be low, as these amino acids are essential for protein synthesis.
The hen's egg was initially used as a reference value with a BV of 100. However, it was later found that egg protein contained higher percentages of certain amino acids than necessary. Combining vegetable and animal proteins in the right proportions can increase the biological value, as the amino acids complement each other, resulting in a more diverse amino acid profile. For example, the combination of soya protein and skimmed milk yogurt has a very high biological value of 158.
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Limitations of biological value
The biological value (BV) of a protein is a measure of the presence of essential amino acids in proportion to the body's needs. The essential amino acid in the lowest concentration relative to need is the "limiting amino acid". The biological value of a food can vary depending on its preparation and the recent diet of the organism. This makes the reliable determination of BV difficult and of limited use.
Biological value does not take into account how readily the protein can be digested and absorbed. It also does not consider the interaction of protein with other dietary factors before absorption. It ignores the importance of factors that influence digestion, such as age, weight, health, sex, recent diet, and current metabolism. For example, the BV of a diet for a young man may differ from that of an older woman.
The determination of BV for a single protein is of limited use for application to human protein requirements, as no population derives all its protein from a single food source. The BV of a protein is also measured relative to a readily utilizable protein source, often an egg, which is assumed to have a BV of 100. This means that the BV of a single protein is always relative to another protein and not an absolute value.
Furthermore, the validity of the formulation and use of a reference protein or score depends on the accuracy of knowledge of human amino acid requirements. Requirements for adults and children are believed to be different, yet a single standard has been used. It may be debated whether there is a need to formulate two separate patterns.
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Alternative methods
There are several alternative methods to calculate the biological value (BV) of proteins in a diet.
Firstly, Net Protein Utilization (NPU) is an index that combines a measure of the biological value and the digestibility of the protein in a diet. NPU is determined by calculations from chemical score data and is a practical method of evaluating differences in protein quality. It is calculated under standard conditions at a fixed level of protein intake below maintenance. The formula for NPU is: NPU = body N content with test protein − body N content with protein-free diet × 100 / N intake. NPU is a better estimate of protein quality than BV as it considers digestibility.
Secondly, the Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER) is a method of assessing the quality of proteins. PER measures body weight gain per unit of protein consumed. It is calculated as the gain in body weight divided by the amount of protein consumed. However, PER has the disadvantage that it is not reproducible in different laboratories, even under standardized conditions.
Thirdly, the Amino Acid Score or Chemical Score compares the amount of individual essential amino acids to that of an ideal or reference protein. The amino acid with the lowest score is assigned to the test protein. This method is easy to conduct but does not consider digestibility or palatability in live animals.
Additionally, the digestibility of protein can be calculated by measuring dietary protein input and fecal output. The formula for digestibility is: amino acid digestibility (%) = amino acid consumed − amino acid excreted × 100 / amino acid consumed. Digestibility assays are a favoured technique for measuring the availability of amino acids.
Finally, the overall nutritive value of a protein (Net Protein Value) can be obtained using the Mitchell method as Biological Value x Digestibility. This should be identical to NPU.
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Frequently asked questions
Biological value (BV) is a measure of the proportion of protein that is absorbed and retained by an organism to be used in protein synthesis.
The biological value is calculated using the formula: (ingested protein/absorbed protein) x 100. This formula determines how much of the ingested protein remains in our body and how much is excreted.
The higher the biological value, the more efficiently the protein can be used by the body. A protein with a high BV indicates that the amino acids occur in proportions that are highly compatible with the body's needs. A hen's egg has been given a reference value of 100.
The biological value of a protein is influenced by the amino acid composition of the protein source. The presence of all 9 essential amino acids (EAAs) that cannot be synthesised by the body is required for the efficient conversion of dietary protein into body protein. The health and recent diet of the organism can also impact the BV.
Combining vegetable and animal proteins can increase the biological value of your diet. This is because the amino acids complement each other, resulting in a more diverse amino acid profile. For example, Almased combines soya protein with skimmed milk yoghurt, resulting in a biological value of 158.
