True ileal amino acid digestibility and digestible indispensable amino acid scores (DIAASs) of cooked tropical peas

Tropical peas can be used as both animal feed and human food but the nutritional quality of their proteins for humans is currently poorly documented. Here, 3 varieties of tropical peas were studied at two stages of seed maturity (green or dry): Cajanus Cajan (CC), Vigna Unguiculata (VU) and Lablab Purpureus (LP). Pea seeds were prepared traditionally (soaking and cooking). The true ileal digestibility (TID) of their amino acids was measured in minipigs, and the digestible indispensable amino acid score (DIAAS) was calculated. Total amino acid TID was not significantly different between pea varieties (95.8 % for CC vs 93.0 % for VU vs 96.7 % for LP), but it decreased slightly between green and dry seeds. The DIAAS for adults of green and dry seeds was 104 and 111 for CC, 94 and 96 for VU, and 78 and 64 for LP. For human consumption, Cajanus Cajan and Vigna Unguiculata provided a good balance in indispensable amino acids in relation to adult requirements, whereas Lablab Purpureus was deficient in sulphur amino acids.