[Biological value of protein from leaves of Atriplex suberecta]. / Valor biológico de la proteína foliar de Atriplex suberecta.

The study of Atriplex suberecta leaf protein concentrate has been included within our work line entitled "Biological value of the leaf protein of Atriplex" amino acid profile and chemical score. In order to evaluate nitrogen retention, net protein utilization (NPU), true digestibility (TD) and biological value (BV) data were obtained. Weight gain was studied after determining net protein ratio (NPR) and relative net protein ratio (RNPR) with the following results: CS = 96, calculated for sulphur amino acids; NPU = 60 +/- 4.00; TD = 76 +/- 5.20; BV = 87; NPR = 3.34 +/- 2.50 and RNPR = 88%, which enable us to infer that its protein is of good quality. These data, therefore, should indicate that the product studied could be a good complement for cereals, considering its high lysine content (CS superior to 100).

[Biologic value of the protein concentrate of Atripex lampa and its value as a complement to wheat flour]. / Valor biológico y complementario a la harina de trigo, del concentrado proteínico de Atriplex lampa.

The Atriplex lampa, chenopodiáceae, is a very abundant bush in the arid and semiarid regions of our Province. This work was undertaken to characterize from the chemical point of view, both the fresh leaves and the protein concentrate (PC) obtained from them. A second purpose was to determine the biological value of the protein, and to evaluate its capacity as a complement to wheat flour (WF). Through this study, the leaf was shown to have a high content of ashes, sodium, potassium and silica, what accounts for its low palatability. The PC obtained has a protein concentration of 59.37 g/100 g and its biological value is limited by the sulfur amino acids, with a chemical score of 85.70. Since the protein is poorly utilized, this results in a relatively low value of its net protein utilization (NPU), a fact which may be attributed to its low true digestibility. The studies on the complementary effects of PC on WF were made at three levels, i.e., 30, 50 and 60%, respectively. The results revealed that the best complementation, measured by the nitrogen utilization, happened to be when 50% of the protein contribution was provided by the A. lampa protein concentrate.