Nutritional quality of Dhub (lizard) meat (uromastys aegyptius Blanford 1874) and characterization of its protein using electrophoretic techniques

The nutritional quality and protein characteristics of Dhub (Lizard) meat were studied. Some essential amino acids (phenylalanine plus tyrosine, threonine, histidine and tryptophan) were lower while isoleucine was higher in Dhub meat protein compared to beef and cow milk proteins. However, the essential amino acid profile of Dhub meat protein surpassed the essential amino acid requirements of the FAO/WHO/UNU for children and adults. In vitro protein digestibility and computed protein efficiency ratio values were 90.7% and 2.62, respectively, compared to 89.6% and 2.50 for ANRC‐Casein.

Isoelectric focusing showed that most of the sarcoplasmic protein patterns in Dhub were localized in the pH range 3.5–8.5 and they were different from beef, lamb, camel meat, chicken and king mackerel fish. On the other hand, horizontal SDS electrophoresis showed a molecular weight distribution of major Dhub meat protein bands in the range of 18 to 79 KD. Dhub meat protein had a distinguishing band with molecular weight of 200 KD which did not appeare in lamb, camel, chicken and fish (King mackerel) meat proteins.

Key words:

• Dhub
• nutritional quality
• protein
• electrophoresis

Notes

Correspondence author.