Question

The combination of foods providing protein quality nearest to that of meat is:

• A. Wheat, dal and groundnuts
• B. Bread and butter
• C. Sprouted gram and groundnuts
• D. Groundnuts and jaggery

Hint:

Think about which two plant foods make up for each other's missing essential amino acids.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Question.
Meat is called a complete protein because it supplies all the essential amino acids the body needs, in fairly good amounts. Plant foods, taken alone, are usually incomplete proteins, since each one is short of at least one essential amino acid. The question asks which combination of plant foods comes closest to matching meat's protein quality.

Step 2: Key Concept, Protein Complementation.
When two incomplete plant proteins are eaten together, and each one is strong in the amino acid the other lacks, their combined amino acid profile can come close to a complete protein. This idea is called protein complementation or mutual supplementation.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation.
Sprouted gram is a pulse, and sprouting also raises its usable protein and vitamin content compared to the dry seed. Groundnut is an oilseed rich in protein and fat. Eaten together, sprouted gram and groundnut supply a well balanced mix of essential amino acids, and this combination is recognized as coming nearest to the protein quality of meat among plant food pairings.
Option (A), wheat, dal and groundnuts, does include a pulse and a nut, but wheat protein is comparatively poor in quality and dilutes the mix rather than improving it. Option (B), bread and butter, gives mostly starch and fat, with very little usable protein from either food, so it does not come close to meat protein. Option (D), groundnuts and jaggery, pairs a protein source with jaggery, which is almost pure sugar and contributes no protein at all, so it cannot match meat protein quality.

Step 4: Final Answer.
The combination that best complements each other's amino acids and comes nearest to meat protein quality is sprouted gram and groundnuts.
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