Food Chemistry 10 (1983) 15-23 Evaluation of Leaf Protein Isolates of Some Egyptian Crops Taiseer M. Abo Bakr, M. S. Mohamed & E. K. Moustafa Food Science Department, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt (Received: 18 December, 1981) ABSTRACT The in vitro digestibilities by pepsin, pancreatin and pepsin followed by pancreatin of the leaf protein isolates of four species of Egyptian crops were studied. Bean and cabbage leaf protein isolates were more digestible with pepsin and pancreatin, each used individually, as well as with pepsin followed by pancreatin, than those of tomato and sugar cane. There were only minor variations in the amino acids content of the different leaf protein isolates with the sulphur-containing amino acids being the limiting acids. Bean and cabbage leaf protein isolates were superior to those of tomato and sugar eane J?om the point of view of availability of amino acids. INTRODUCTION The amino acid composition of leaf protein concentrate was reported to be as good as, or better than, that of many foodstuffs (Gerloff et al., 1965; Oke, 1971). On the basis of amino acid composition, leaf protein from a wide variety of plant species was considered of high biological value (Akeson & Stahmann, 1965). However, some points remain to be studied before leaf proteins can be successfully introduced into human food. These points are digestibility and nutritive availability of the amino acids of leaf proteins. All the essential amino acids are completely available from certain proteins, especially those of animal origin, while some of 15 Food Chem,.try 0308-8146/83/0010-0015/$03"00 © Applied Science Publishers Ltd, England, 1983. Printed in Great Britain