@misc{9238192,
  abstract     = {{There is a market gap regarding diversity within plant-based beverages with a complete amino acid profile. For this reason, new ingredients that could be used for the formulation of two plant-based drinks were researched: one combining raw ingredients like seeds, and the other one using protein isolates. Once the final formulations were decided, the resulted drinks included a beverage made of quinoa and hemp hearts, and another one made from rapeseed and faba bean protein isolates.
Afterwards, the drinks were analysed following the Dumas method. Its total nitrogen and protein content were evaluated, and for the hemp-quinoa drink a 1.12% of protein was obtained, while for the rapeseed-faba drink, 3.36% protein content was reached.
Following the calculation of the amino acid scores during the formulation step, the protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) and the digestible indispensable amino acid score (DIAAS) were calculated for the hemp-quinoa (87%) and the rapeseed-faba (94%) beverages, respectively. In order to find out the actual amount of all the amino acids present in each of the drinks, samples were sent to Eurofins, where a total amino acid analysis was performed. The FAO/WHO amino acid requirements for adults were used as a reference. Using these values, for the hemp-quinoa beverage the only limiting amino acid was lysine (96%), while the estimated AAS presented leucine and lysine as the limiting amino acids (97.3% and 97.2%, respectively). As for the rapeseed-faba drink, while the estimated AAS was over 100%, the actual values presented two limiting amino acids: leucine (99%) and valine (97%).
Since both drinks were of plant-based origin, the study of the presence of different antinutrients was contemplated. Phytic acid was especially considered, as it can bind to proteins hindering their absorption rates. The use of food-grade phytase was applied to reduce the phytic acid content and, subsequently, the Bradford assay was used to evaluate if it led to an increase in the solubility of the proteins, and phytic acid content was also measured. The results concluded that even though the phytic acid was reduced after phytase treatment, this did not impact the protein solubility.
An in vitro enzymatic digestion was performed following the INFOGEST protocol in both beverages before and after the phytase treatment. The resulting products were analysed using a colourimetric assay (OPA) and SDS-PAGE to evaluate the effectiveness of the digestion and of the phytase treatment. The conclusion reached was that the digestion indeed worked, as the concentration of free amino acids increased and the band intensity in the gel was lower for the digested samples, but with no significant difference between phytase-treated and untreated samples. 
The conclusion reached was that there is a challenge in finding the balance between making a plant-based beverage with a complete amino acid profile while keeping it palatable by consumers. Even with the limitations involved in this thesis like time and equipment, two beverages were formulated that almost met the amino acid score goal while achieving positive flavours and mouthfeel.}},
  author       = {{Neri, Cassia and Gómez Gómez-Díaz, Rosalina}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Towards plant-based drinks with complete and digestible proteins : Formulation, protein quality, and the effect of phytase on protein digestibility of hemp-quinoa and rapeseed-faba bean beverages}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}