ABSTRACT
Although cereals supply nearly 50% of the total protein in the human diet world-wide [13-18], and the total protein production from cereals in 1988 was more than two and a half times that from legumes [3] (Ta ble 1), their unfavorable balance of amino acids requires a complemen tary protein for optimal nutrition. In the developed Western countries, animal proteins comprise a substantial portion of the diet. This prefer ence may be based on intuitive recognition of their higher intrinsic nu tritional value, lack of any cultural or religious taboos, or simply the availability of animal protein being plentiful because of high buying power. The relatively poor quality of cereal proteins, therefore, is of hardly any importance in Western diets. In the developing countries, however, animal proteins are, as was pointed previously, either too ex pensive (Latin America and Africa) or not readily accepted (India). Leg umes constitute the main source of both protein and calories in many of these tropical and subtropical areas [3]; dry legumes and legume prod ucts are, in fact, the richest source of food protein from plants [18]. In some developing countries, such as Togoland, south of Sahara, and In dia, their dietary intake per capita per day was estimated at 10 to 150 g.
