Fig. 3.

Overview of potential issues and solutions to optimise the anabolic response following plant-based protein consumption. (1) For plant-based foods with a high protein quality, but low protein content (e.g. potato), extraction of high-quality protein isolates forms an effective method to allow ingestion of a desired amount of protein. (2) For plant-based food sources with deficiencies in specific amino acids (e.g. corn: low in lysine), a protein isolate or concentrate can be fortified with the deficient free amino acid(s) to improve the amino acid content profile. (3) Plant-based food sources with deficiencies in specific essential amino acids can be combined to improve the overall amino acid profile of the protein blend. For example, peas are low in methionine but high in lysine; in contrast, brown rice is high in methionine but low in lysine. A blend combining pea and brown rice would meet overall amino acid requirements. (4) When plant-based food sources (or protein isolates) are deficient in one or more amino acids (e.g. lentils, wheat), this may be compensated for by simply ingesting a greater amount of the plant-based protein source. Illustrations: the scale balance represents the amount of food to be consumed to provide 20 g protein, unless otherwise indicated. Weight for brown rice and lentils represent cooked amounts. Dashed horizontal line in graphs represents the amino acid requirements for adults (WHO/FAO/UNU Expert Consultation 2007 [58]). EAA Essential amino acid