Roquette, a global leader in plant-based ingredients, published the results of a new study on the Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score (DIAAS) of its pea protein.

The study was conducted by the Roquette team in partnership with renowned academic experts from the INRAE, France's National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment, assigned a DIAAS score of 100 to Roquette’s ingredient, showing that pea protein offers a balanced amino acid profile and an excellent digestibility that fully responds to consumers’ nutritional needs.

The study – which was published on World Pulses Day on the 10th of February – is the first DIAAS study on peas to follow the methodology recommended by FAO. The nutritional quality of proteins is the combination of two factors that are key in terms of nutrition: the digestibility and the composition in amino acids. The DIAAS methodology allows the evaluation of the digestibility of each indispensable amino acid in the protein with a very precise protocol implemented in humans. This high-level method is used to complement the notable PDCAAS (Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid Score) of 93 already obtained for NUTRALYS® pea protein.

Caroline Perreau, Nutrition and Health Research Manager at Roquette, explained: “Thanks to high level scientific collaborations with academic experts, we showcase the premium nutritional quality of our pea protein. This was another step to share our expertise about pea protein nutritional benefits.”

Jeremy Burks, Senior Vice President of Plant Proteins at Roquette, added: “The result of this study is another piece of evidence that pea protein is an outstanding plant-based ingredient. At Roquette, we aim to be the best partner for our customers and all the players along the value chain, and we are proud to be the first to use this methodology that confirms our strong bet for this extraordinary pulse.”

Juliane Calvez, Research Scientist at INRAE, said: “In a clinical study on healthy volunteers, we showed that Roquette’s pea protein isolate displayed a well-balanced indispensable amino acid composition associated with a high digestibility. We obtained a DIAAS of 100 that demonstrates pea isolate is an excellent source of plant protein for human diet.”

The study was published in "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition". You can download it here. 

To learn more about Roquette's pea protein, visit their website: roquette.com