Plant proteins as high-quality nutritional source for human diet

Background: Adequate human nutrition depends on the ingestion of many nutrients present in the diet. Proteins are indispensable macronutrients, including the essential amino acids. A protein source can vary its nutritional quality in terms of digestibility, amino acid profile, and its bioavailability. There are several disadvantages claimed to livestock and traditional animal protein sources. Thus, in a continuous increasing world population, a current challenge is the consumption of proteins with low-cost and easily supply, meeting environmental and social aspects. Scope and approach: Plant proteins may be a critical step for reducing animal protein dependence by humans. This critical review contributes to facilitating the choice of a plant protein source based on the amino acid composition. Additionally, this overview can give insights into the development of new food products and add value to agro-industrial wastes and by-products. Furthermore, this paper shows the wide variety of sources of plant proteins, with balanced nutritional quality and high protein content as a potential protein supply for the human population and industrial applications. Key findings and conclusion: A significant challenge is encountering the most suitable protein source since it depends on consumers' preferences, industrial availability, geographical location, and cultural elements. Nevertheless, it is possible to select a plant protein source comparing the essential amino acid composition of each source to the reference pattern.