Evaluation of Essential and Non-Essential Amino Acid Profiles and Ratios in Egusi Balls Enriched with Pleuratus tuber-regium (usu)

Authors

  • Okocha, Kalu Sunday ORCiD Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria
  • Okafor, Juliet Chinenye ORCiD Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria
  • Clifford, Florence Chinecherem ORCiD Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria
  • Ezeh-Nwandu, Mary Chikodili ORCiD Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria
  • Omologbe, Felix ORCiD Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria

Keywords:

Amino acid profile, egusi balls, essential amino acids, non-essential amino acids, Pleurotus tuber-regium (usu)

Abstract

Objective: Protein malnutrition is prevalent in many developing regions where diets are dominated by carbohydrate-based staples. This study investigated the essential and non-essential amino acid profiles and their ratios in egusi balls enriched with different levels of Pleurotus tuber-regium (usu), with the aim of improving protein quality.

Methodology: Composite egusi ball samples were formulated by substituting melon seed paste with 10-30% usu. The amino acid composition of each formulation was determined using ion-exchange chromatography. Total Essential Amino Acids (EAA), Non-essential Amino Acids (NEAA) and amino acid ratios, including EAA to total amino acid (EAA/TAA), were quantified.

Results: Total EAA content ranged from 18.36-18.63 g/100 g, whereas, NEAA ranged from 44.50-54.06 g/100 g. Phenylalanine and leucine were the predominant EAAs, while lysine and valine were present in lower amounts. Incorporation of usu increased lysine and tryptophan concentrations, demonstrating a complementary amino acid effect. Glutamic and aspartic acids were the dominant NEAAs, contributing to desirable umami characteristics. The EAA/TAA ratio (25.6-29.2%) conformed to FAO/WHO recommended values for plant-based proteins. Although, higher levels of usu slightly reduced total amino acid content, they enhanced amino acid balance and overall protein quality.

Conclusion: Enrichment of egusi balls with Pleurotus tuber-regium improved the amino acid profile and biological value of the product, yielding a nutritionally superior plant-based protein source. These findings support the potential of usu-fortified egusi balls as a functional food for mitigating protein-energy malnutrition in populations reliant on carbohydrate-based staple diets.

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Published

2026-02-02

Issue

Vol. 2 (2026)

Section

Research Article

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Okocha, Kalu Sunday, Okafor, Juliet Chinenye, Clifford, Florence Chinecherem, Ezeh-Nwandu, Mary Chikodili, Omologbe, Felix

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

How to Cite

1.
Okocha KS, Okafor JC, Clifford FC, Ezeh-Nwandu MC, Omologbe F. Evaluation of Essential and Non-Essential Amino Acid Profiles and Ratios in Egusi Balls Enriched with Pleuratus tuber-regium (usu). J. Food Sci. Food Prod. [Internet]. 2026 Feb. 2 [cited 2026 Feb. 12];2:20–26. Available from: https://acadpub.com/jfsfp/article/view/evaluation-amino-acid-profiles-egusi-balls-pleurotus-tuber-regium