Indispensable amino acids
Overview
This class comprises histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine [1]. Tyrosine is not a member. The class resolves the already accepted indispensable-amino-acid supply record; it does not create nine independent PM admissions.
Dietary Context
Digestible dietary proteins contribute the constituent amino acids. Presence of all nine is distinct from their amounts, digestibility or adequacy relative to a person’s needs. The class is not assigned an amount from total protein, and every meal need not contain the complete set [1].
Foods
Plant-based — 10 composition-derived sources
Ranked by the sum of nine separately reported amino acids per 100 g of the stated edible form. Water content and portion sizes differ. This is not a digestibility or protein-quality ranking, an effective PM dose, or a requirement to obtain all nine in each meal.
| Food / form | Nine AA (g/100 g) | Protein (g/100 g) | Illustrative portion | Nine AA / protein in portion (g) |
|---|
| Pumpkin Seeds — dried | 11.205 | 30.23 | 1 oz (28.35 g) | 3.177 / 8.57 |
| Sunflower Seeds — dried | 8.621 | 20.78 | 0.2 cup (28 g) | 2.414 / 5.818 |
| Peanuts — dry-roasted | 7.369 | 24.35 | 1 oz (28.35 g) | 2.089 / 6.903 |
| Tofu — firm, calcium-set | 6.491 | 17.27 | 0.5 cup (126 g) | 8.179 / 21.76 |
| Almonds — raw | 6.287 | 21.15 | 1 oz (23 whole kernels) (28.35 g) | 1.782 / 5.996 |
| Kidney Beans — cooked | 3.434 | 8.67 | 0.5 cup (88.5 g) | 3.039 / 7.673 |
| Lentils — cooked | 3.302 | 9.02 | 0.5 cup (99 g) | 3.269 / 8.93 |
| Chickpeas — cooked | 3.225 | 8.86 | 0.5 cup (82 g) | 2.645 / 7.265 |
| Quinoa — cooked | 1.433 | 4.4 | 1 cup (185 g) | 2.651 / 8.14 |
| Oats — cooked | 1.005 | 2.54 | 1 cup (234 g) | 2.352 / 5.944 |
Animal-based — 10 composition-derived sources
Ranked by the sum of nine separately reported amino acids per 100 g of the stated edible form. Water content and portion sizes differ. This is not a digestibility or protein-quality ranking, an effective PM dose, or a requirement to obtain all nine in each meal.
| Food / form | Nine AA (g/100 g) | Protein (g/100 g) | Illustrative portion | Nine AA / protein in portion (g) |
|---|
| Chicken — cooked | 12.865 | 31.02 | 0.5 breast, bone and skin removed (86 g) | 11.064 / 26.677 |
| Sardines — canned, drained | 10.433 | 24.62 | 1 can (3.75 oz) (92 g) | 9.598 / 22.65 |
| Salmon — cooked | 9.368 | 22.1 | 3 oz (85 g) | 7.963 / 18.785 |
| Cheddar Cheese — cheddar | 9.333 | 22.87 | 1 oz (28.35 g) | 2.646 / 6.484 |
| Turkey — cooked | 9.3 | 30.13 | 3 oz (85 g) | 7.905 / 25.611 |
| Mussels — cooked | 8.67 | 23.8 | 3 oz (85 g) | 7.37 / 20.23 |
| Tuna — canned, drained | 7.894 | 19.44 | 3 oz (85 g) | 6.71 / 16.524 |
| Beef — cooked | 7.347 | 25.93 | 3 oz (85 g) | 6.245 / 22.041 |
| Eggs — cooked | 5.547 | 12.58 | 1 large (50 g) | 2.774 / 6.29 |
| Milk — whole milk | 1.447 | 3.15 | 1 cup (244 g) | 3.531 / 7.686 |
Recipes
1 recipe containing this substance
Turmeric Milk
A warming drink combining turmeric (curcumin) with milk/fat for enhanced curcumin absorption
Biological Regulatory Systems
The accepted amino-acid availability relationship concerns circulating supply; it does not establish increased brain neurotransmitter synthesis.
References
[1] FAO (2013). Dietary Protein Quality Evaluation in Human Nutrition. Authoritative indispensable-amino-acid and digestible-protein framework; not a brain-efficacy trial.
