Nuts, amino acid content

Table 4. Essential Amino Acid Content of Nuts ...

Amino Acid Content (g/100 g) of Edible Tree Nuts... 

Table 2.13 Amino acid content of legumes, oilseeds and nuts (in g per 16 g of nitrogen).

Pea.nuts, The proteins of peanuts are low in lysine, threonine, cystine plus methionine, and tryptophan when compared to the amino acid requirements for children but meet the requirements for adults (see Table 3). Peanut flour can be used to increase the nutritive value of cereals such as cornmeal but further improvement is noted by the addition of lysine (71). The trypsin inhibitor content of raw peanuts is about one-fifth that of raw soybeans, but this concentration is sufficient to cause hypertrophy (enlargement) of the pancreas in rats. The inhibitors of peanuts are largely inactivated by moist heat treatment (48). As for cottonseed, peanuts are prone to contamination by aflatoxin. FDA regulations limit aflatoxin levels of peanuts and meals to 100 ppb for breeding beef catde, breeding swine, or poultry 200 ppb for finishing swine 300 ppb for finishing beef catde 20 ppb for immature animals and dairy animals and 20 ppb for humans. 

Nuts, seeds, and grains are not considered as sources of organic acids. Other than amino acids and fatty acids, they contain phenolic acids and phytic acid. Phytic acid and its salts, phytats, are regarded as the primary storage form of both phosphate and inositol in seeds, mostly within the hulls. The phytic acid content of cereals (whole grain) varies from 0.5% to 2.0% [21],... 

The chemical and functional characteristics of proteins in Brazil nnt have not yet been fully explored and little information is available on the health effects of Brazil nut by-products. For example, the cake produced from Brazil nut oil extraction industries, which might be used as functional food ingredients, sources of nutraceutical extracts or dietary protein due to its high content of sulfur-containing amino acids, requires further research. 

Fruits contain 0.1-1.5% N-compounds, of which 35-75% is protein. Free amino acids are also widely distributed. Other nitrogen compounds are only minor constituents. The special value of nuts, with their high protein content, has already been outlined. 

Proteins.— The nitrogenous food materials make up 10-16 per cent, of the solids of the human diet, and may reach 30 per cent, if the consumer can afford them. They are the most expensive and most palatable part of the dietary, and are well represented in eggs, meat, fowl, fish, milk, cheese, nuts, cereals, and legumes (beans, peas, lentils). Proteins form the only dietary source of amino acids, the content of which differs in different proteins. For this reason, it is generally believed that about half of the food protein should be derived from animal sources to ensure getting a sufficient supply of the correct amino acids, and several sorts of protein are included in the dietary so as to provide an adequate selection. 

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