Legume seeds, protein content

Duranti, M. and Gius, C. 1997. Legume seeds Protein content and nutritional value. Field Crops Res 53 31 -5. 

Legumes Soybean High seed protein content, seed coat expression, low producer price Lower expression levels... 

Mosse, J., Nitrogen to protein conversion factor for 10 cereals and 6 legumes or oilseeds—a reappraisal of its definition and determination—Variation according to species and to seed protein content. Journal of... 

Protein contents of selected oilseeds and legume seeds, and food protein ingredients prepared by various procedures, are shown in Table I. Amino acid contents and protein efficiency ratios (PER s)... 

Cow pea and urd bean, two common legumes are only slightly lower. An excellent review by H. D. Tindall of the leguminosae plants indicates most of their seeds have high protein contents, are directly consumable, and they are easily grown in tropical and subtropical climates (30). 

Faba beans contain several ANFs such as tannins, protease inhibitors (vicin/ convicin) and lectins. Use of low-vicin/convicin cultivars may allow substantial levels of faba beans to be included in poultry diets (Danner, 2003). The levels of trypsin inhibitor and lectin activities are low compared with other legume seeds and do not pose problems in poultry diets when faba beans are incorporated into diets at the levels shown below. Of most concern for poultry is the tannin fraction, which has been shown to depress digestibility of the protein and AA (Ortiz et al., 1993). Tannins in whole faba beans are associated with the seedcoat (testa), and the tannin content is related to the colour of the seedcoat (and flowers). Tannins are lower in white than in the colour-seeded varieties. 

Wolf ( ) has pointed out that the soybean could be classified as a protein seed rather than an oilseed. Average proximate composition of presently grown varieties Is 40% protein and 20% oil depending upon variety and strain, protein content ranges between 34-49% and oil content ranges from 14-25% ( 2). Protein content In soybeans Is higher than In many meat products and about twice that of other food legumes on an as-ls basis. 

The typical basic chemical composition of some legumes and oilseeds is summarised in Table 2.24. The content of the individual nutrients and other components, however, varies broadly and depends on the seed origin (plant variety), maturity and many other factors. For example, the protein content of common mature pea seeds varies between 14.2 and 36.1% and dietary fibre content is 16.7-25.5% and water content is 11%. Green peas, however, contain 78.9% water, 5.4% protein and 5.1% dietary fibre. Furthermore, oilseeds accumulate oil rather than starch. The amino acid composition of important legumes is given in Table 2.24. 

Some legume seeds that contain significant amount of hpids, such as soybeans and peanuts, are used as oilseeds. The protein content of oilseeds usually ranges from 20 to 50%. Other important oilseeds include rapeseed, sunflower seed and many other plant... 

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