Researchers at the University of Illinois are using digestibility studies in pigs to improve human nutrition by determining the quality of protein in cereal grains.
Urbana, Ill./University of Illinois -- Nutrient digestibility is an important aspect of nutrition, but it can be hard to measure in humans. Researchers at the University of Illinois are using digestibility studies in pigs to improve human nutrition by determining the quality of protein in cereal grains.
In 2013, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recommended that a new measurement called the digestible indispensable amino acid score (DIAAS) be used to describe the protein content of foods. The DIAAS takes into account the concentration and ileal digestibility of each indispensable amino acid in the protein. Ileal digestibility studies are impractical to conduct in human subjects so animal models are often used to determine amino acid digestibility. The growing pig is the animal model recommended by FAO.