The nutritional quality of a protein depends on the proportion of its amino acids-especially the essential amino acids-their physio logical availability, and the specific requirements of the consumer. Availability varies and depends on protein source, interaction with other dietary components, and the consumer's age and physiological state. In many foods, especially those from plants, low levels of various essential amino acids limits their nutritive value. This is particularly important for cereals (which may be inadequate in the essential amino acids isoleucine, lysine, threonine, and tryto phan) and legumes (which are often poor sources of methionine). Moreover, these commodities are principle sources of protein for much of the earth's rapidly growing population. At the current annual growth rate of about 2 percent, the world population of about 4 billion will increase to 6.5 billion by the year 2000 and to 17 billion by the year 2050. Five hundred milliQn people are presently estimated to suffer protein malnutrition, with about fifteen thousand daily deaths. The ratio of malnourished to adequately nourished will almost surely increase. For these reasons, and especially in view of the limited availability of high quality (largely animal) protein to feed present and future populations, improvement of food and feed quality is especially important.

Inhaltsangabe1. Position Paper on RDA for Protein for Children.- 2. Chilean Experience with Fortified Children's Formulas.- 3. Improvement of the Protein Quality of Corn with Soybean Protein.- 4. Animal and Human Feeding Studies on the Biological Availability of Protein in Supplements.- 5. Effect of Nitrogen Retention by Adults of Different Proportions of Indispensable Amino Acids in Isonitrogenous Cereal-Based Diets.- 6. Comparative Protein Quality as Measured by Human and Small Animal Bioassays of Three Lines of Winter Wheat.- 7. Urea as a Dietary Supplement for Humans.- 8. Nutritional Consequences of Excess Amino Acid Intake.- 9. Hair as an Index of Protein Malnutrition.- 10. The Problem of Curvature in Slope Assays for Protein Quality.- 11. Defining Dietary Plant Fibers in Human Nutrition.- 12. Photosynthesis and Increased Production of Protein.- 13. Control through Breeding Methods of Factors Affecting Nutritional Quality of Cereals and Grain Legumes.- 14. Methods for Improving Cereal Protein Quality.- 15. The Current Status of Breeding for Protein Quality in Corn.- 16. Improvement of Wheat Protein Quality and Quantity by Breeding.- 17. Protein Quality of Induced High Lysine Mutants in Barley.- 18. Potential for Improving Cottonseed Quality by Genetic and Agronomic Practices.- 19. The Nutritive Value of Mixed Proteins.- 20. Some Thoughts on Amino Acid Supplementation of Proteins in Relation to Improvement of Protein Nutriture.- 21. Nutritional Evaluation of Dry-Roasted Navy Bean Flour and Mixtures with Cereal Proteins.- 22. Nutritional Evaluation of Oilseeds and Legumes as Protein Supplements to Cereals.- 23. Amino Acid Supplementation of Isolated Soybean Protein in Milk Replacers for Preruminant Lambs.- 24. The Nutritive Value of Faba Beans and Low Glucosinolate Rapeseed Meal for Swine.- 25. Production of Animal Protein from Nonprotein Nitrogen Chemicals.- 26. Analysis for Availability of Amino Acid Supplements in Foods and Feeds: Biochemical and Nutritional Implications.- 27. N-Substituted Lysines as Sources of Lysine in Nutrition.- 28. Bioavailability of Acetylated Derivatives of Methionine, Threonine, and Lysine.- 29. A Method for Improving the Nutritional Value of Food Proteins: Covalent Attachment of Amino Acids.- 30. Inhibition of Lysinoalanine Synthesis by Protein Acylation.- 31. Microbial Production of Essential Amino Acids with Corynebacterium Glutamicum Mutants.- 32. Nutritional Improvement of Food Proteins by Means of the Plastein Reaction and its Novel Modification.- 33. Potential for the Use of Germinated Wheat and Soybeans to Enhance Human Nutrition.- 34. Improving Protein Quality of Bread-Nutritional Benefits and Realities.- 35. Fortification of Soft Drinks with Protein from Cottage Cheese Whey.- 36. Soy Protein Utilization in Food Systems.- 37. Cottonseed Protein Derivatives as Nutritional and Functional Supplements in Food Formulations.- 38. Yeast Proteins: Recovery, Nutritional and Functional Properties.- 39. Design and Assembly of an Inexpensive, Automated Microprobe Amino Acid Analyzer: Separation and Quan-Titation of Amino Acids in Physiological Fluid.- 40. Glossary of Abbreviations and Definitions of Nutritional Terms.