Amino acid profile of raw and as-eaten products of spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.)

The aim of the work was to evaluate the amino acid composition of fresh spinach and spinach products prepared for consumption. The investigation included fresh and cooked spinach and two kinds of frozen product: one obtained using the traditional method (blanching-freezing-refrigerated storage) and then cooked; and the other, of the ready-to-eat type, obtained using the modified method (cooking-freezing-refrigerated storage) and then prepared for consumption in a microwave oven. In 100 g of edible parts of the as-eaten products, the content of amino acids exceeded that in the raw material from which they were obtained, except for sulphur amino acids and tyrosine. In the as-eaten products, the content of amino acids in protein calculated in 16 g N was similar to that in the raw material, except for lower tyrosine and higher arginine content in the traditional frozen product prepared for consumption. Cystine with methionine was the amino acid limiting the quality of protein in the investigated samples, except for the traditional frozen product prepared for consumption, where the Chemical Score (CS) index was 100.