What is the quality difference between the different protein sources?
From a sustainability perspective, we are in the middle of a protein transition from animal to vegetable proteins. So can we clarify what the difference is between animal and vegetable proteins?
Proteins are made up of amino acids and are an essential part of the nutritional value of our food. They have an important function in the production, repair and maintenance of our muscles, organs, bones, skin and hair. Our bodies don’t store protein, so it must come from our food. Foods derived from plants and animals can provide both proteins, but there are some differences. A person’s body needs a balance of all 22 types of amino acids to function healthily. The body cannot make nine of these acids, the so-called essential amino acids, so we only receive these amino acids through our food. The various protein sources (animal or vegetable) have a different protein profile, so important amino acids may be missing. And this can lead to health problems with one-sided food intake. In general, the animal protein is more complete than vegetable protein, from the perspective of the amino acid profile. For health reasons, there is an increasing attention for research into the amino acid profile within the food industry. Ansynth is your partner in analyzing all the amino acids in the different animal and plant proteins!