Assessment of Protein Quality in Gluten-Free and Gluten-Containing Food Products: Insights from the PDCAAS Method

This study aims to investigate the protein quality of gluten-free products and gluten-containing products using the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) method. Twenty gluten-free and twenty gluten-containing products were selected, including various types of flour, bread, pasta, crackers, biscuits, and cakes. Amino acid contents were obtained from TURKOMP, USDA, and literature research. Protein contents of products were between 2.63-52.5 g/100g and 2.4-13.4 g/100 g for gluten-free and gluten-containing products, respectively. PDCAAS scores of gluten-free products and gluten-containing products were found to be between 0.2% and 100%, and 34.4% and 100%, respectively. Peanut flour, soy flour, and chickpea flour can be a preferable alternative for gluten-free recipes with their high protein content. Gluten-free products made from rice flour and sorghum flour have been found to have the highest protein quality. In conclusion, the amount and quality of protein in gluten-free products can vary depending on the type of protein sources used. In a gluten-free diet, products with high protein quantity and quality should be preferred.