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The global shift towards plant-based diets underlines the critical need to thoroughly evaluate the nutritional value of alternative proteins to meet dietary requirements. To effectively assess the protein quality, it is crucial to understand its composition and digestibility. Through this study, the protein quality assessment of a panel of proteins deriving from emerging plants (i.e., legumes and cereals) and microalgae sources (n = 8) was conducted. Protein digestibility, analyzed using two different methods and expressed in three different ways, showed a high discrepancy. This suggests that relying on two quantification methods and different ways of result expression can give a broader insight into understanding the protein digestibility of alternative proteins compared to a unilateral approach. The amino acid profiles and digestibility scores of individual proteins revealed that all sources contained limiting amino acids and that none met the dietary requirements. Based on the individual amino acid scores, we conducted theoretical calculations to explore potential protein blends. The optimal blend identified contained no limiting amino acids and included pea protein isolates and corn protein concentrates as the primary components, supplemented with barley protein concentrates, Spirulina, or Nannochloropsis oceanica. These results underscore the importance of protein versatility, demonstrating that strategically blending cereals, legumes, and microalgae can significantly enhance nutritional quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microalgae are booming as a sustainable protein source for human nutrition and animal feed. Nevertheless, certain strains were reported to have robust cell walls limiting protein digestibility. There are several disruption approaches to break down the cell integrity and increase digestive enzyme accessibility. This review's intent is to discuss the digestibility of microalgae proteins in intact cells and after their disruption. In intact single cells, the extent of protein digestibility is chiefly related to cell wall structural properties (differing among strains) as well as digestion method and when added to food or feed protein digestibility changes depending on the matrix's composition. The degree of effectiveness of the disruption method varies among studies, and it is complicated to compare them due to variabilities in digestibility models, strains, disruption method/conditions and their consequent impact on the microalgae cell structure. More exhaustive studies are still required to fill knowledge gaps on the structure of microalgal cell walls and to find efficient and cost-effective disruption technologies to increase proteins availability without hindering their quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]