[Protein complementation of defatted hazelnut flour with pea flour]

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Nutritional Biochemistry
• Protein Chemistry

Background:

• Industrial processing of native Chilean hazelnut (Gevuina avellana) yields a defatted residue with potential for human food applications.
• Pea flour is a common legume protein source, particularly in the Chilean diet.
• Assessing the protein quality and digestibility of novel food ingredients is crucial for expanding food resources.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the protein complementary potential of defatted hazelnut flour and pea flour.
• To determine the optimal ratio of defatted hazelnut flour to pea flour for maximum protein quality.
• To assess the true digestibility of these protein mixtures.

Main Methods:

• Biological evaluation using weaning Wistar rats.
• Diet formulation with varying proportions of defatted hazelnut flour and pea flour (30:70, 50:50, 60:40, 70:30).
• Measurement of Net Protein Ratio (NPR) and true digestibility compared to casein.

Main Results:

• Net Protein Ratio (NPR) values ranged from 3.4 to 4.1, with casein at 3.7.
• The highest protein quality (NPR of 4.1) was observed at 60:40 and 70:30 (w/w) ratios of hazelnut to pea flour, exceeding casein by 11%.
• True digestibility showed no significant differences among experimental diets but was lower than casein.

Conclusions:

• Defatted hazelnut flour is a valuable protein source that effectively complements pea flour.
• Optimal protein quality is achieved with higher proportions of defatted hazelnut flour.
• This defatted hazelnut flour represents a viable nutritional alternative for supplementing cereal and legume-based diets, particularly in Chile.