Protein digestibility and protein quality of common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) fed alone and with maize, in adult humans using a short-term nitrogen balance assay.
Various experiments using young human adults were carried out to measure the protein digestibility of common beans, fed alone and in different forms and fed together with maize as tortillas. In all, 36 young men were used. Common bean protein digestibility was significantly lower than that observed from meat, and similar to the digestibility of a textured vegetable protein soy protein product. It was also observed that forms of consumption may affect protein digestibility of beans. Using a short-term multiple intake protein quality assay method, it was found that feeding beans alone, N equilibrium was reached with an intake of 114 mg N/kg/day, while when fed with maize in a 87:13 ratio, N equilibrium was reached with 98 mg N/kg/day. This was attributed to both a complementary protein effect and an increase in protein digestibility.
INCAP Studies of Vegetable Proteins for Human Consumption
This article describes the efforts of the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP) to develop a relatively low-cost vegetable protein mixture suitable as a complementary food for infants and young children. As it turned out, the resulting product became popular with older children and adults, and its superior nutritional benefits were widely recognized by the population. This effort led to broader studies by INCAP of the nutritional quality of vegetable protein mixtures, including raw materials, processing to convert them into human-grade products, product formulation, and commercialization.
Evaluation and Control of Collapsible Soils
Some compacted soils wetted under certain conditions of compaction and loading may exhibit additional settlement (collapse). To investigate the effect of the soil type, compaction water content, initial dry unit weight and applied pressure at wetting on collapse potential, 138 single‐oedometer tests were conducted on eight different soils. The results indicate that well‐graded soils tend to collapse more than poorly graded ones under similar conditions. Furthermore, collapse potential decreases with an increase in (1) The difference between the sand and clay percentages; (2) compaction water content; and (3) initial dry unit weight, while it increases with pressure at wetting. A multiple regression analysis was performed on the laboratory results to provide a collapse‐predictive model that was substantiated by data reported by several researchers. A chart is presented to estimate (1) The collapse potential of soils under various conditions; and (2) the critical water content beyond which no collapse is ex...