Pea seeds lacking anti-nutrition proteins have improved digestibility

Abstract

Poster presentado en: 7th International Conference on Food Digestion. Cork, Irlanda; 3-5 mayo (2022)The increasing demand on food production to meet the needs of a growing population, coupled to the need to protect the environment, makes it necessary to change the food production system. Legume crops are a great choice as food crops to fulfil many needs, including nurturing the human population and reducing the impact of agriculture on the planet. Peas are an excellent source of proteins, carbohydrates and micronutrients, but the presence of so-called anti-nutritional factors can reduce the bioavailability of nutrients. Among the anti-nutritional proteins are lectin, pea albumin 2 (PA2) and trypsin inhibitors (TI). We have investigated the impact of these proteins on protein digestibility and amino acid availability, using pea seeds lacking these proteins. Three genetic variants were used: i) wild type (WT); ii) seeds lacking trypsin/chymotrypsin inhibitors (TI mutant); and iii) seeds lacking TI, lectin and PA2 (Triple null mutant). In vitro digestions following the INFOGEST protocol were carried out. Significant differences in the degree of hydrolysis, protein profile and amino acid availability were found among pea variants. Proteins resistant to digestion were identified by LC-MS/MS. Our results indicate that pea seeds lacking certain proteins can be used in the development of novel foods with improved digestibility