Protein extraction from Buckwheat, Chondrus crispus, and Spelt and assessment of nutritional benefits and limitations in vitro

Plant protein consumption has increased globally but concerns exist regarding their ability to provide sufficient amino acids to consumers. Extraction methods that can separate protein from anti-nutritional factors have potential to increase the nutritional value of this biomass. Few studies concerning analysis of the amino acid content of plant protein extracts exist. In this work, three different protein extraction methods were used to generate protein extracts from Buckwheat, Spelt and the red seaweed Chondrus crispus. Methods used include ultra-sonication in water combined with ammonium sulphate-induced protein precipitation; an enzymatic extraction method using the enzymes Alcalase and Viscozyme, and an iso-electric precipitation extraction method using alkaline protein solubilization followed by acidic protein precipitation. Proteins extracted using the enzymatic method contained the highest proportion of essential amino acids (EAA) in viable quantities, and the method holds promise for use in the generation of alternative marine and cereal protein extracts for human consumption.