Nitrogen Balance Studies in Young Men to Assess the Protein Quality of an Isolated Soy Protein in Relation to Meat Proteins

The protein nutritional value of an isolated soy protein was examined in healthy young men during 10-day N-balance periods. In the first study (expt 1), 10 young men received a diet providing a test protein (N 6.25) intake of 0.6 g protein per kilogram per day with nitrogen from either lean beef, isolated soy protein or various combinations of the two sources. No differences in N balance, digestibility or net protein utilization were observed when the soy protein replaced beef. In the second study (expt 2), three separate groups of seven young men each received graded intakes of either beef or an isonitrogenous mixture of beef and the isolated soy protein or dried skim milk. An estimate was made of the N intake from each source required for N equilibrium. These values were 116, 106 and 103 mg N/kg per day, respectively. No statistically significant differences were found among the three dietary groups. Thus, the protein quality of the isolated soy protein appears to be comparable to that of animal protein sources such as milk and beef.