Biological Value (BV) of Proteins

                                                 Introduction

       Biological Value of proteins refers to an estimate of the portion of proteins absorbed from a particular food which is then converted into the proteins utilizable by the body of the organism (Bender & Doell, 1956). It is a ratio that evaluates the quality of a protein through a calculation of the amount of nitrogen utilized for formation of the tissues divided by the amount absorbed from the consumed food. This result could be expressed as a percentage of utilized nitrogen through multiplication of the obtained product by 100%. So in a nutshell, Biological Value helps in determining the protein usability in the body as it expresses how the digested protein is applied in the organism’s cells for protein synthesis.

                  Comparison of biological value of proteins from various food sources

         Proteins are very vital to the organism’s body in one way or another in amino acid nutrition (Young & Pellett, 1994) and that’s why there are both plant and animal proteins; a chance for every organism/ mammal to consume proteins into their body. Plant proteins such as pea nuts, lentils, beans and soya are food source of protein obtained from plants whereas animal proteins are those that supplies the necessary amino acids needed by our body; they are referred to us complete proteins as they give the best quality  sources of protein.

         It’s worth noting that Biological Value of various proteins greatly varies and is determined by variety of factors (Bender & Doell, 1956). For example, the protein’s usability on the body of the organism depends on its source (whether plant or animal), how it has been prepared and the organism’s recent diet. Research shows that animal proteins generally has a higher Biological Value (BV) compared to plant proteins; whole egg: 100%, beef: 92%, cheese: 84%, fish: 76%, immature bean: 65%, Soy bean curd: 64% and whole wheat: 64%. This shows how much animal protein is essential to our bodies and it is a major necessity in the synthesis of amino acids required by the body. For example, consuming a whole egg is often is quite important as 100% of it is utilized by our body for protein synthesis. Similarly, red meat is also important but the amount taken should be regulated since not all of it can be retained by the body. Comparing fish and beef, it is clear that a huge percentage of red meat is utilized for protein synthesis than white meat. The same way, it is quite evident that as compared to animal proteins, a relatively smaller percentage of consumed plant protein is what is required for building the body tissues. This shows that animal proteins has a better biological value than plant proteins, however, this doesn’t nullify the importance of these plant  proteins because regardless of the amount consumed by our bodies, they’re still essential (Mitchell & Carman, 1926).

                                                 Conclusion

             Biological value is indeed a ratio that is important in measuring the amount protein that is utilizable by mammalian bodies. Through the comparison of biological value of proteins from various food sources, one realizes the kind of proteins that are very essential to the body and it can help when it comes to diet selection. Therefore, it is important for one to balance between various sources of food protein without any negligence as they pay attention to their (foods’) biological value.