Wednesday 20 March 2013

High Biological Value Protein (High BV)




Biological Value

The Biological Value (BV) is a scale of measurement used to determine what percentage of a given nutrient source is utilized by the body. The scale is most frequently applied to protein sources. Biological Value is derived from providing a measure intake of protein, then determining the nitrogen uptake versus nitrogen excretion. The theoretical highest BV of any food source is 100%. In short - BV refers to how well and how quickly your body can actually use the protein you consume.
The BV is particularly used in protein, as the body can not store excess amino acids (other main nutrients, such as fat and carbohydrates can be stored by the body). The daily diet should thus always provide enough protein, and protein of the proper quality, to fulfil the need of the body.
The most limiting amino acid thus determines the BV of the whole protein. If the body needs, for example, 1 gram of phenylalanine daily, and the food supplies 500 gram of protein, but only 0.5 gram of phenylalanine, the BV of the protein is very low. Only a fraction of the protein can be used, the rest has to be excreted.
A low BV can be compensated by consuming other proteins. For example, when a protein is low in leucine, the BV is low. When combining this protein with a protein with high leucine content, the combined BV will be higher than that from the first protein alone. In the combination another amino acid may be limiting, thus determining a new BV. You can never add two biological values to obtain a new biological value. The new value in a combination will be determined by the most restricted amino acid in the combination.
The BV is very important for vegetarians and vegans, who do not consume animal protein. In general, animal proteins have a higher BV than vegetable protein, due to the resemblance of humans and animals. Vegetarians and vegans thus should cleverly select protein sources to obtain a high BV.

Table 1 : Biological value of some foods

Product
Biological value
Whole egg
93.7
Milk
84.5
Fish
76.0
Beef
74.3
Soybeans
72.8
Rice, polished
64.0
Wheat, whole
64.0
Corn
60.0
Beans, dry
58.0
Egg white protein is considered to have one of the best amino acids profiles for human nutrition. Plant proteins generally have lower content of some essential amino acids such as lysine and methionine. Soy protein is one of the best plant proteins, but nevertheless, the most prominent difference is the proportion of the essential sulphur-containing amino acid methionine. Egg white protein has approximately three times more methionine than is found in soy protein.

Amino acid profiles of food proteins

The following table shows representative amino acid profiles of some common foods and dietary protein supplements. The percentages are averages of several commercial products. Casein and whey are milk proteins. Casein is the protein that precipitates from milk when curdled with rennet; it is the basis for making cheese. Whey is the watery part of milk that remains after the casein is separated.

Table 2 : Amino acid composition of food proteins (Percentage (%) by weight of amino acid)

Amino Acid
protein
 
 egg white 
 beef 
 chicken 
 whey 
 casein 
 soy 
 yeast 
 alanine
6.6
6.1
5.5
5.2
2.9
4.2
8.3
 arginine
5.6
6.5
6.0
2.5
3.7
7.5
6.5
 aspartic acid
8.9
9.1
8.9
10.9
6.6
11.5
9.8
 cysteine
2.5
1.3
1.3
2.2
0.3
1.3
1.4
 glutamic acid
13.5
15.0
15.0
16.8
21.5
19.0
13.5
 glycine
3.6
6.1
4.9
2.2
2.1
4.1
4.8
 histidine *
2.2
3.2
3.1
2.0
3.0
2.6
2.6
 isoleucine *
6.0
4.5
5.3
6.0
5.1
4.8
5.0
 leucine *
8.5
8.0
7.5
9.5
9.0
8.1
7.1
 lysine *
6.2
8.4
8.5
8.8
3.8
6.2
6.9
 methionine *
3.6
2.6
2.8
1.9
2.7
1.3
1.5
 phenylalanine * 
6.0
3.9
4.0
2.3
5.1
5.2
4.7
 proline
3.8
4.8
4.1
6.6
10.7
5.1
4.0
 serine
7.3
3.9
3.4
5.4
5.6
5.2
5.1
 threonine *
4.4
4.0
4.2
6.9
4.3
3.8
5.8
 tryptophan *
1.4
0.7
1.2
2.2
1.3
1.3
1.6
 tyrosine
2.7
3.2
3.4
2.7
5.6
3.8
5.0
 valine *
7.0
5.0
5.0
6.0
6.6
5.0
6.2
* Essential amino acids

Reference:  http://www.food-info.net

 
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Thursday 14 March 2013

Healthy cooking oil: Olive oil Vs Canola Oil

 

What is Canola Oil?

Canola seeds from the lovely yellow canola flowers are harvested and pressed, to obtain canola oil. This oil is low in saturated fat and is high in monounsaturated fat. In fact, canola oil has the lowest level of saturated fatty acids, as compared to any vegetable oil. Moreover, since it is high in monounsaturated fatty acids, it can reduce blood cholesterol levels. Canola oil also contains moderate levels of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids. It also contains adequate amounts of vitamin E. 
Qualities of Canola oil:                                     
  • Canola, the world’s healthiest cooking oil comes from the seeds of the Canola Plant.
  • Among all the cooking oil canola oil has least saturated fat.
  • With the multiple health benefits like ‘Free from Trans fat and cholesterol‘, ‘high in Omega3’, Canola oil is the perfect Heart-Healthy choice.
  • High smoking point, neutral taste and odour, light texture makes it ideal cooking oil for any type of cooking like salads, stir-fry, sautéing, baking, grilling and for any type of cuisine. Indian cooking is best done with Canola Oil.
  • Canola oil is now the 3rd most consumed vegetable oil in the world.
  • The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized a qualified health claim on its potential to reduce heart disease risk when used in place of saturated fat.
  • Overall Acceptability of Canola oil based on Sensory Evaluation found to be best even if it was used in half amount in comparison to other oils. It has been lab analysed that consumption of oil deceases by as much as 50% in Indian cooking with Canola Oil despite maintaining the same sensory and taste parameters.
  • Olive Oil Vs. Canola Oil

    Olive oil has a low smoking point, which means it smokes at a lower temperature, thus, cannot be used for deep frying, etc. Canola oil on the other hand, has a higher smoking point and can be used for deep frying and high heat stir frying.

    Superiority
    We come across a lot of promotional measures being carried out to promote canola oil. The promotional slogans say that canola oil is superior to olive oil due to its high amount of monounsaturated fatty acids. However, how much of this is true? Is canola oil really better than olive oil? The answer is No! Olive oil has been around for myriads of years and has been tested and tried. It has proven its superiority. Indepth research about canola oil and its health benefits have yet to be proven scientifically. So, even though the food oil industry keeps promoting canola oil as olive oil's twin, olive oil is the big brother for now!

    Fat Content
    We also hear that both canola oil and olive oil contain 'good fats', however, which one has higher content of 'good fats'. Olive oil has a higher proportion of good fats or monounsaturated fatty acids, as compared to canola oil. In fact, the good fats present in olive oil are thrice higher than that in same amount of canola oil. Moreover, olive oil also has higher levels of polyunsaturated fats than canola oil. Though both canola and olive oil have low levels of saturated fats (bad fat), as compared to other cooking oils, the amount of saturated fats are higher in olive oil than in canola oil. Thus, with two plus points and one minus point, olive oil still contains higher levels of good fats than canola oil.

    Health Benefits
    Canola oil is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6-fatty acids, which help reduce the risk of heart diseases, arthritis and cancers. Moreover, since these essential fatty acids are not manufactured in the body, canola oil becomes an important source. Although olive oil contains omega-3-fatty acids, the amount is lower as compared to canola oil.

    Cost
    One major difference between canola and olive oil is the cost. Canola plants are relatively cheaper to cultivate and maintain, as compared to olive trees. This reflects in the overall price of the oil as well. Olive oil has been known for its health benefits since time immemorial. However, the problem is that there is not enough olive oil produced for everybody. Moreover, since olive oil is expensive, the affordability of canola oil is better than olive oil.

    Taste
    Though lots of people love olive oil, there are also those who find its flavor too strong to add it into food. Canola oil is relatively insipid, thereby proving to be suitable oil for baking food items. Moreover, its versatile and smooth texture makes it a great cooking oil, especially for stir frying, sautéing and grilling. Canola oil can also be used in marinades, sauces and salad dressings.

    Culinary Uses
    Olive oil has a lower smoking point, which means it smokes at a lower temperature when heated. This is why olive oil cannot be used for deep frying and high heat stir fries. However, Canola oil with its high smoking point can be used for frying, provided the temperatures are less than 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

    In terms of health benefits, as of today, olive oil is still superior! Nevertheless, canola oil is not far behind. For people who cannot afford consuming olive oil on a day-to-day basis, canola oil is a good option.   Reference http://www.buzzle.com , http://www.jivo.in
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