CAC/GL 4-1989 General Guidelines for the Utilization of Vegetable Protein Products (VPP) in Foods
1. PURPOSE
To provide guidance for the safe and suitable use of vegetable protein products (VPP) in foods by establishing:
(i) principles to ensure that the nutritional quality of the food containing VPP is appropriate to their intended use; and
(ii) principles for the appropriate labelling of foods containing VPP.
2. SCOPE
These general guidelines are intended to apply to all situations in which proteins derived from vegetable sources other than Single Cell Protein are utilized in foods.
3. DEFINITIONS
Available Amino Acids: Amino acids from food proteins that are absorbed and are available for metabolism.
Amino Acid Score (formerly chemical score): (mg of the limiting amino acid in 1.0 g of test protein)/(mg of the same amino acid in 1.0 g of protein as defined by the reference amino acid pattern).
Bioavailability: The extent to which an amino acid or other essential nutrient is absorbed and available for metabolism.
Complementation (of proteins): The increase in protein nutritional value achieved by mixing two proteins, which have different limiting amino acids, in those proportions which result in the protein quality of the mixture being higher than that of either of the component protein occurs when the first
protein has an excess of the amino acid which is limiting in the second protein and vice versa.
Limiting amino acid: The essential amino acid of a food protein present in the lowest proportion relative to the amount of that amino acid in the Reference Amino Acid Pattern.
Net Protein Ratio (NPR): (weight gain of test group of rats plus weight loss of non-protein group)/(protein consumed by test group).
Nutritional Adequacy: See Section 7.2.
Protein Quality: The extent to which a protein source provides essential amino acids and indispensable nitrogen for meeting human requirements.
Protein quality is primarily determined by the level, distribution and bioavailability of the essential amino acids in a protein source.
Reference Amino Acid Pattern: The levels and distributions of essential
