The Nutritional Evaluation of Certain Nut Proteins

Almonds, cashews, English walnuts and pecans have a high content of protein and fat. These concentrated foods have been found to be readily digestible when Incorporated in a mixed diet (Jaffa, 1903), Certain nuts have been studied and have been found to have a variable biological value. Mitchell and Beadles (1937), using the rat as the eaqperimeutal animal, recorded a biological value of 73 for cashews, which was only slightly less than that of beef protein (76), while pecans, almonds and English walnuts had biological values ranging from 50 to 60. The biological values were determined after expressing some of the oil from the nuts in order to incorporate 14 per cent of protein in the different diets. Very few studies have been made on the nutritive value of proteins of whole nuts.