Advancing Protein Quality Knowledge and Access with a Centralized and Interactive Database

Abstract

Protein quality is an important concept in nutrition, but specific food information remains fragmented across multiple databases and not readily available to anyone except protein experts. This article presents the development of a novel Protein Quality Hub providing a consolidated, global protein quality database and illustrates its use for applied dietary and research applications. The Protein Quality Hub offers the first structured, searchable, and transparent platform for protein quality scoring and evaluations with corresponding metadata across various food types and analytical methodologies. The database currently includes 7775 protein correction factors comprising 1186 human patterns; 6589 animal profiles; and all 33 published Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation values. The article demonstrates 4 applications of the Hub ranging from simple queries for Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid Score and Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score values to complex research applications to assess the essential amino acid content of meals with multiple protein sources and a unique comparison of digestibility compared with metabolic availability data. The Protein Quality Hub is an important advancement in making protein quality information accessible for research and health applications.