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K. LIU, Dept. of Food Science, Univ. of Missouri, Columbia, 124 Eckles Hall, Columbia, MO 65211 Oilseeds and legumes account for the largest proportion of annual global seed protein production, mainly due to their much higher protein content as compared with cereal grains. Although there are more than one and a half dozen common legume species cultivated throughout the world, they can generally be grouped into three categories, dry beans, peas and lentils. In general, food legumes contain 20-30% proteins on a dry matter basis. They are used mainly for human consumption, particularly in developing countries. Based on annual production, soybeans, cottonseed, peanut, rapeseed/canola, and sunflower seed are considered to be the five major oilseed crops. Protein contents in these oilseeds range from 20 to 40%. Unlike food legumes, most oilseed proteins are used for animal feed after oils are completely or partially removed. There is a renewed interest in using vegetable proteins for food uses. The primary driving forces for this trend include food supply, economics, functionality, and nutritional and health promoting properties. Yet, there are a few major constraints limiting vegetable proteins in general, and oilseed and legume proteins in particular, for human consumption. These include presence of antinutrients and toxicants, poor flavor, taste and texture, lack of certain essential amino acids, economics of production, and competition from other protein sources. New technologies based on processing and genetic manipulation of seed varieties are being developed to overcome these constraints. Among all the oilseed and legume species, soybean is by far the major source of commercial seed proteins for food uses. Furthermore, soy proteins have attracted most interest in recent years due to scientific research pointing towards health benefits derived from soy protein consumption. This presentation will therefore discuss recent advances in legume protein research with emphasis on soybean proteins.
Session 60, Seed proteins
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