Analyses have been made for crude protein, amino acids, and trypsin inhibitor content of 21 cultivars of sweet potato collected from two regions of the highlands of Papua New Guinea, one (Upper Mendi region) of high incidence of Enteritis necroticans (EN) and the other (Erave region) of low incidence of EN. The incidence of EN occurs in populations that are reported to be low in protein; hence, the analysis of the staple food (sweet potato) may give a clue to the difference between the two regions. No significant differences were found in the crude protein content, amino acid scores, or trypsin inhibitor contents between the sweet potatoes from the two regions. The range of crude protein content is 0.5-2 g of protein/100 g of fresh sweet potato; the S-containing amino acids (cystine plus methionine) are limiting in 65% of cases, followed by lysine (23%), leucine (6%), and other amino acids. The average chemical score is 0.6. The trypsin inhibitor content varies greatly over a 67-fold range. No significant correlation (r = 0.057) is found between trypsin inhibitor and crude protein.
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