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The commercial oil cake produced during expeller pressing of maize germ, was extracted with n-hexane and 80 percent ethanol followed by seiving to remove undesirable materials. In defatted maize germ oil cake (DMGOC): protein, starch, fat, crude fiber (CF) and ash were respectively 24.69, 36.55, 5.68, 7.56 and 3.90 percent and they decrease after processing except ash, which increased slightly. It contains better quality protein having only 3 percent zein and 47 percent albumin. Its amino acids like lysine and tryptophan and biological value (BV) were higher than that of whole maize grain, and was comparable with that of the amino acid requirement of preschool children and casein diets both. Its digestible energy (DE) was lower compared with whole maize grain as well as the casein diets. After processing albumin, globulin and zein decreased whereas glutelin and the residual fraction increased. Not much differences were observed in chemical composition and different amino acids, in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD), true digestibility (TD), BV and DE improved after processing.

In pot experiments with greatly differing rates of N, P, S, K and Ca, dry matter (DM) yields of leek stems varied from 25 to 164 g/pot. Total-N and NO3-N concentrations varied from 1.18 to 3.56% and from 10 to 1515 ppm in DM, respectively. Both N applications and P and K deficiency greatly increased total-N and NO3-N content. S applications increased total-S content from 0.047 to 0.359% in DM, of which between approximately 100 to 25% were found in methionine+cystine. Total-N/total-S ratios decreased from 57 to 6 with the highest S level. P and K applications increased their respective content in DM two- and threefold. Severe Ca deficiency reduced Ca content from 0.495 to 0.045%. Iron, zinc, manganese and copper contents varied from 33-69, 14-26, 11-34 and 3.1-5.7 ppm in DM, respectively. Increasing N contents, whether due to N applications or P or K deficiency, decreased the content of all essential and some other amino acids in crude protein. Both S and severe P deficiency had a pronounced negative effect on amino acid composition and chemical score. Only glutamic acid (glutamine) and arginine were increased by increasing N contents. However, expressed as g/kg DM the concentrations of all amino acids were positively correlated with protein content. S and P deficiency reduced total dietary fibre (TDF) content of DM from 28.3 to 18.6% and 17.4%, respectively, of which between 53 and 60% were insoluble dietary fibre (IDF). Digestible energy (DE) was positively correlated with protein content (r = 0.90**). In N-balance trials with rats, increasing protein concentrations (50% of total protein given as casein and supplemented with 1% methionine) raised the true digestibility (TD) of the protein from 44 to 72%. The biological value (BV) of protein was generally high, with a mean of 91.7. N deficiency tended to increase and S deficiency tended to decrease the BV.

Four new high-lysine barley mutants, the variety 'Lysimax', with the high-lysine gene lys3a and the mutants mother variety 'Sultan' were grown in a field trial in 1993 at Risø, Denmark. Mutants 609, 1242, 1385 and 1405 yielded in the range of 89 to 98 percent and cv 'Lysimax' yielded 102 percent of cv 'Sultan' (100 percent). One-thousand kernel weights for the mutants were in the range of 87 to 97 percent and cv 'Lysimax' 83 percent of cv 'Sultan' (100 percent). Protein contents of the mutants were slightly higher, in the range of 13.2 to 13.6 percent, than of cv 'Sultan' (13.1 percent) and 'Lysimax' which had a protein content of 12.6 percent. Fat content was higher in 'Lysimax' and in the mutants except for mutant 1385 than in cv 'Sultan' while dietary fibre contents of the barleys were similar. The levels of beta-glucans and starch were usually lower in 'Lysimax' and in the mutants. The highest lysine levels: 4.6, 4.0 and 3.7 g/16 g N occurred in cv 'Lysimax' and mutants 609 and 1405 compared to 3.3, 3.3 and 3.2 for cv 'Sultan' and mutants 1242 and 1385, respectively. Mutants 609 and 1405 and cv 'Lysimax' also had higher levels of threonine, histidine and valine. The increased lysine contents resulted in large, at most 20 percent, increases in biological value; 88.8, 81.7 and 78.3 percent for cv 'Lysimax' and mutants 609 and 1405 compared to 74.2 percent for cv 'Sultan'. True protein digestibilities and energy digestibilities were slightly lower in 'Lysimax' than in 'Sultan', 5.3 and 4.3 percentage units, respectively. It is concluded that the development of high-lysine barley varieties is very beneficial for meeting the requirements of indispensable amino acids for humans and monogastric animals. In addition, nitrogen excretion into the environment is drastically reduced due to the higher biological values of the mutants.

Chemical analyses and feeding experiments using rats were conducted to evaluate the nutritive value of winged bean and other legumes (soyabean, green gram, bambarra nuts, pigeon peas, field beans, cow peas) sources grown in Tanzania. Proximate analyses showed that the composition of winged bean was similar to soyabean, while the composition of the other legumes differed considerably. This was also the case for antinutritional constituents and minerals. As to the amino acid composition, the lysine level was high with the highest value in winged bean (7.5 g/16 g N). However, the concentration of methionine and cystine was low which limits their protein quality. Another important amino acid, threonine, was generally high, especially in winged bean (4.3 g/16 g N). With exception of field bean, true protein digestibility was above 80%, soyabean having the highest value (90.7%). The biological value was also highest in soyabean (76.1%) followed by winged bean (69.9%). Utilizable protein was high in soyabean (28.8%) and somewhat lower in winged bean (23.4%). Energy digestibility was around 80%, soyabean having the highest value of 85.8%. The study findings support the idea that winged bean is a good alternative plant protein source in Tanzania.

Crisphead lettuce was cultivated under different growth conditions. Sixteen batches differed in time of planting (early and late), total nitrogen supply (200 kg N/ha, 150 kg N/ha, 100 kg N/ha, 50 kg N/ha) and time of harvest (early and late). Based on chemical analysis and balance studies on rats the nutritive value of each 16 batches was determined. The protein content increased progressively from 16.00 to 19.88% with fertilization level. This increase in protein caused a significant drop in essential amino acids (g/16 g N) demonstrating a lower biological value of this protein. Early planting or early harvest resulted in a higher protein content than in lettuce of late planting or late harvest. Total dietary fibre content was approximately 25% of DM-and this value was not much influenced by the different growth conditions. Soluble dietary fibre was approximately 20-25% of total dietary fibre. Due to the high fibre content, energy digestibility was relatively low. The contents of Cd and Pb were below what is considered as 'acceptable' levels.

In pot experiments with greatly differing rates of N, P, K, and S, and 3 levels of water, dry matter (DM) yields of tubers varied from 28 to 454 g/pot. Especially P-, K- and S-deficiency reduced the starch content of boiled potatoes, from P from 74 to 59% in DM. S-deficiency increased soluble, insoluble and total digestible fibre (TDF) from about 9 to 12.4% TDF in DM of boiled potatoes. Lignin content of fresh potato DM was increased from 0.7 to 2.0 and from 0.8 to 3.7% by P- and K-deficiency. P-deficiency considerably increased arabinose, galactose, and uronic acid, and decreased glucose content. N-application and P-, K- and S-deficiency increased total- and NO3-N concentrations which varied from 1.32 to 3.67% and from 17 to 400 ppm in DM. Water stress slightly decreased total-N content. Increasing N in DM, due to high N-rates or P- or K-deficiency, decreased concentrations in crude protein (CP) of all essential amino acids, whereas aspartic acid (asparagine) increased. S-deficiency caused particularly strong decreases in concentrations of essential amino acids from 1.28 to 0.49, 1.62 to 1.10, 5.24 to 3.68, and 5.59 to 2.57 g/16 g N of cystine, methionine, lysine and leucine, respectively. Glutamic acid (glutamine) content was increased from 15.7 to 27.6 g/16 g N by S-deficiency. Expressed as g amino acid/kg DM, all amino acid concentrations increased with increasing % N in DM. In N-balance trials with rats, increasing crude protein concentrations in DM of boiled potatoes increased the true digestibility (TD) of the protein from 72 to 90 but decreased the biological value (BV) from 89 to 65. S-deficiency caused a further reduction of the BV to 45. Excluding S-deficiency treatments, linear regression equations between CP concentrations and BV and TD gave correlation coefficients r of -0.94*** and 0.82***, respectively. There was close agreement between changes of BV and concentrations of first limiting amino acids (chemical score), with r = 0.96***.

Nutrient composition of eight commonly consumed spices of South India was analysed. Spices analysed were red chillies (Capsicum annum), black pepper (Piper nigrum), coriander seeds (Coriandrum sativum), cumin seeds (Cuminum cyminum), garlic (Allium sativum), asafoetida (Ferula foetida), dry ginger (Zingiber officinale) and ajowan (Carum copticum). The nutrients analysed were proximate principles, minerals, starch, sugars, dietary fibre components, tannins, phytic acid, enzyme inhibitors and amino acids. Dry ginger, ajowan and asafoetida had high calcium (1.0-1.5%) and iron (54-62 mg/100 g) levels. The tannin content of spices was also high (0.9-1.3% DM). Dietary fibre ranged from 14-53%. Spices had appreciable amounts of essential amino acids like lysine and threonine. A survey revealed the average per capita consumption of spices to be 9.54 g and at that level, the nutrient contribution from spices ranged from 1.2 to 7.9% of an average adult Indian male's requirement for different nutrients.

The chemical composition of different varieties of field beans (Vicia faba L.), cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata), groundnuts (Voandzeia subterranea), and sorghum (Sorghum vulgare) were determined. Nutrients analysed in these materials included amino acids, starch, sugar, fibre, minerals and antinutritional factors. All the materials were further tested in balance trials with rats; true protein digestibility (TD), biological value (BV), net protein utilization (NPU) and digestible energy (DE) were evaluated. Based on the chemical analyses as well as on the biological data, the nutritive value of plant materials between species as well as between varieties within species differed considerably. Therefore, more quality evaluation studies along with plant breeding programmes are needed to select the most promising varieties from the nutritional point of view.

The protein quality of typical rice-based menu of Filipino preschool child and adult and cooked milled rice was assessed for true digestibility (TD), biological value (BV) and net protein utilization (NPU) in growing rats. Lysine and energy digestibilities were also determined. For the preschool child diet, TD was 88.8%, BV 90.0%, and NPU 79.9%. For the adult diet, TD was 87.3%, BV 86.6%, and NPU 75.5%, whereas cooked rice had 90.0% TD, 82.5% BV and 74.3% NPU. Lysine digestibility was 95.4% for preschool child diet, 95.7% for adult diet, and 100.0% for rice. Digestible energy was 91.3% for preschool child diet, 93.0% for adult diet, and 95.3% in rice. Amino acid scores were 100.0% for preschooler diet, 92.1% for adult diet, and 62.2% for rice. Protein quality based on amino acid score corrected for TD was 88.8% for preschool child diet. 80.4% for adult diet, and 56.0% for rice. If based on lysine digestibility instead of TD, protein quality would be 7.1% higher.

In pot experiments, S-deficiency decreased the seed weight of rape from 4.30 to 2.44 g/1000 seeds at highest N-level. N/S ratios varied from 5.8 to 45.0 and from 3.7 to 21.6 in ryegrass and kale. S-deficiency tended to decrease the fat(oil) content. In kale and ryegrass, it was increased by N-applications, but decreased in rape. S-deficiency had very little effect on starch and sugar content, whereas N-deficiency in kale greatly increased starch (eightfold) and sugar content. Soluble (SDF) and insoluble dietary fibre (IDF) content was hardly affected by S-deficiency. In kale and ryegrass N-deficiency decreased SDF-content, but increased IDF-content. Cystine and methionine concentrations (g/16 g N) were affected by S-deficiency, most strongly at high N-levels, where decreases in kale, ryegrass, rape and field beans amounted to respectively 18, 39, 40 and 17% for cystine and 27, 59, 24 and 6% for methionine. Also, lysine, threonine and tryptophan were decreased. S-deficiency increased aspartic acid (asparagine) content of ryegrass (fourfold) and of arginine in rape and kale. In N-balance trials with rats, S-deficiency reduced the biological value (BV) of the protein of kale from 65 to 40 and of field bean seed from 70 to 61. Corresponding decreases in digestible energy (DE) were from 56 to 48 and from 82 to 78, respectively.

Influence of eight common Indian spices on the protein quality of sorghum and chickpea was studied. Spices used include red chillies (Capsicum annum), black pepper (piper nigrum), coriander seeds (Coriandrum sativum) cumin seeds (Cuminum cyminum), garlic (Allium sativum), asafoetida (Ferula foetida), dry ginger (Zingiber officinale) and ajowan (Carum copticum). Addition of spices did not affect protein digestibility (TD) of sorghum. The BV of all sorghum diets with spices was higher than that of control diet. However, it was significant only in case of diets combined with red chilli + coriander (1:1) mix, black pepper + cumin (1:1) mix, coriander and cumin. Addition of spices did not have any effect on TD or BV of chickpea diets.

Digestibility of dietary fibre (DF) and energy of three pale-seeded and one dark-seeded variety of Amaranthus caudatus were studied in balance experiments with growing rats. Effects of processing: popping, toasting and flaking were also examined. The pale seeds contained about 8% of DF and the black seeds about twice as much. The soluble DF fraction made up 33-44% of the total DF (TDF) fraction in the pale-seeded varieties, but only 18% in the black seeds. The monomer sugar composition of the DF was very similar in all products. However, the black seeds were very high in lignin, and DF of the black-seeded products were more resistant to digestion than that of the pale-coloured products. In the pale amaranth products digestible energy (DE) varied between 86 and 91%. In the dark-seeded products DE was lower, and there was a significant negative correlation (r = -0.92) between DE and TDF. Processing of pale seeds had only minor effects on TDF and DE, but increased the proportion of soluble DF and the digestibility of DF in one variety. The food intake tended to be lower in rats fed raw pale seeds compared with those consuming processed products, indicating the presence of heat-labile factors reducing palatability. In conclusion, the pale seeds had a lower content of DF than most cereal grains and the DF was more easily digested. As a source of energy, amaranth grains seem to be comparable to other cereals.

In the present study was examined the nutritive value of different sorghum and millet based baby foods. Different types of kisra, some fortified with chickpeas or peanuts, were also included in the study. Finally was compared the influence of replacing wheat bran with sorghum bran in bread. The nutritive value was assessed by chemical analyses and by rat balance studies. The addition of chickpea and peanuts improved the quality of kisra a staple food of Sudan. This type of kisra can be used as a well-balanced food for infants above the age of one year. The baby food developed from sorghum/millet malt, milk powder and processed by drum drier provides a safe level of protein for children above the age of one month. This formulation and way of processing is well suited for commercial production of sorghum/millet based baby food. Based on the results of the present investigation it is recommended that the use of brown bread for infants should not exceed ten percent wheat or sorghum bran as it affects the digestibility in a negative way.

In growing rats, boiled milled rice-legume diets (2:1 N ratio) had lower energy digestibility than boiled milled rice and equal if not better true digestibility, biological value, and net protein utilization (NPU). Rice-soybean diets showed better NPU than the other rice-legume diets. Boiled whole-grain corn and sorghum had lower digestible energy and NPU than boiled milled rice. NPU of the diets did not follow strictly the trend of the amino acid score of the diets; phenol (tannin) content reduced energy and protein digestibility of all diets, but sugars reduced energy and protein digestibilities of rice-legume diets only.

Chemical analyses and balance trials with rats of 17 foods showed marked differences in protein quality. According to an in vitro procedure true protein digestibility was high (around 90%). The same was also the case for the in vivo values with the exception of two legumes, beans and chick peas, which were digested to a markedly lower degree when compared to the in vitro values. The assumed reason for this is discussed. Due to extensive differences in the amino acid composition of the 17 samples BV varied considerably with the lowest value (45.5) of rice-wheat gluten breakfast cereal. Energy digestibility was generally high. Amino acid digestibility determined in vivo followed the pattern of the corresponding protein digestibility, although marked differences occurred from one amino acid to another in the same food.

The effect of heating and fortification with lysine on the protein quality of five minor millets namely Italian millet (S. Italica), French millet (Panicum miliaceum), Barnyard millet (Echinochloa colona), Kodo millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum) and Little millet (Panicum miliare) was carried out. The N content of the millets ranged from 1.69 to 2.76 per cent. Proximate composition and dietary fibre was estimated. A reduction of 19-25 in TD and increase of 4-18 in BV was observed on auto-claving and both the differences were significant (P less than 0.05) in all millets. However, heat processing did not have a pronounced effect on DE. Fortification with lysine at 0.6 g/100 DM increased both the BV and NPU. Although both heat processing and lysine fortification improved protein utilisation, the effect of fortification was comparatively more than heating.

Nutrient composition of five minor millets produced and consumed in dry land regions and tribal areas of Andhra Pradesh, India, was evaluated. The millets analysed were Italian millet (Setaria Italica), French millet (Panicum miliaceum), Barnyard millet (Echinachloa colona), Kodo millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum) and little millet (Panicum miliare). The nutrients analysed were proximate principles, amino acids, fibre components, calcium, Phosphorus and Iron. Protein and energy were evaluated by true digestability (TD), biological value (BV), net protein utilization (NPU) and digestible energy (DE) in rats. The protein content was higher and lysine content lower, when compared to major millets. Dehusked millets had lower total dietary fibre (TDF) and tannin. The TD of protein ranged between 95.0 to 99.3, whereas the BV was between 48.3 and 56.5. All the millets were poor sources of calcium, phosphorus and iron, with the exception of french millet.