PROTEIN-QUALITY TRAITS OF VEGETABLE AND FIELD PEAS - VARIETAL DIFFERENCES

Four high yielding varieties of field (Rachna and RFP(4)) and vegetabl e peas (Bonnivielle and Arkal) were studied for their protein quality. Crude protein and true protein content of all four pea varieties vari ed from 19.5 to 20.6 percent and 18.7 to 19.8 percent, respectively. N on protein nitrogen formed only 3.94 to 4.84 percent of total nitrogen . Globulins were the major fractions followed by albumins and glutelin s. All the four varieties of peas had similar methionine and tryptopha n content. Lysine content of four pea varieties ranged from 7.56 to 9. 65 g per 16 g of N. Cooking brought about an increase in in vitro prot ein digestibility of peas by IO percent. The sodium dodecyl polyacryla midegel electrophoresis of total protein revealed the presence of 22-2 5 bands with some difference in banding pattern of all four varieties. Some differences were observed in banding patterns of globulin and al bumin of all four varieties, suggesting that composition of protein of pea varieties differed.