Wageningen, June 2024 – A team of researchers led by Dr. Pol Grootswagers has introduced a new method to assess the nutritional quality of meals: the Meal Protein Quality Score (MPQS). Published in Current Developments in Nutrition, the study outlines a novel way to evaluate both the quantity and the quality of protein in mixed meals—particularly relevant in the context of plant-based diets and healthcare nutrition.

Why MPQS?

Until now, tools like PDCAAS and DIAAS were primarily applied to individual food ingredients, making them less practical for evaluating full meals. The MPQS fills this gap by:

• Assessing meals against personalized amino acid requirements

• Incorporating protein digestibility

• Summarizing the most limiting amino acid in a single score

This enables dietitians, chefs, and researchers to judge whether a meal supports muscle maintenance and metabolic health, especially for populations with higher needs such as older adults or hospital patients.

Real-World Applications

The MPQS is already integrated in the Alpha Tool, a digital platform developed by Wageningen University to support sustainable and high-quality menu development. The score helps:

• Dietitians ensure amino acid adequacy in patient diets

• Chefs improve plant-based recipes without compromising nutrition

• Researchers and public health professionals assess dietary quality at the meal level

What Did the Study Show?

The team applied the MPQS to over 5,000 meals from Dutch food consumption data and found:

• Meals with a higher proportion of plant protein had significantly lower MPQS values

• Breakfast had the lowest average MPQS, indicating potential for improvement

• Adjusting for digestibility (using DIAAS where available) strongly influenced the score, especially in high-plant meals

  

A Step Forward in the Protein Transition

“This score bridges the gap between scientific accuracy and practical applicability,” says Dr. Grootswagers. “It allows us to make plant-based meals both healthier and more acceptable in settings like hospitals, schools, and homes.”

The publication marks a key milestone in making high-quality, sustainable nutrition measurable—and actionable.

👉 Read the full paper here:
Meal Protein Quality Score: A Novel Tool to Evaluate Protein Quantity and Quality of Meals

Pol Grootswagers, Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Ageing at Wageningen University, has won the NAV Impact Award for his work on the Alpha Tool. This innovative tool helps chefs, dietitians, and researchers accurately calculate the protein quality of meals. The Alpha Tool was developed to address the challenges of the protein transition in hospitals, where plant-based meals are increasingly being served.

Supporting the Protein Transition in Hospitals
The protein transition within hospital settings is gaining momentum. More and more chefs are developing plant-based recipes to meet the growing demand for sustainable and vegan meals. However, these dishes often face resistance from dietitians who were traditionally taught that high-quality protein primarily comes from animal sources. While hospital patients do indeed need sufficient high-quality protein, it is a misconception that protein must be animal-based to meet these needs. With the right ingredients, plant-based meals can provide all the essential amino acids the body requires.

The Alpha Tool: Bringing Scientific Insights into Practice
The Alpha Tool provides chefs and dietitians with insight into the digestibility and amino acid composition of their ingredients, enabling them to experiment until all essential amino acids are present in a dish. This offers a practical solution to adapt and upgrade plant-based recipes so they meet the nutritional requirements of patients.

“By translating the latest scientific insights directly into practice, we’re building a bridge between chefs and dietitians and removing a key barrier in the healthy protein transition,” says Grootswagers. “In doing so, we create impact in both sustainability and health.”

A Joint Development
The Alpha Tool is the result of years of research and development. The first steps were taken in 2021 with funding from the EU AAL programme. Subsequent grants were provided by Cosun Nutrition Center and Helsefonden. In close collaboration with Inge Tetens from the University of Copenhagen and many others, the tool was further developed. The official launch of the Alpha Tool is planned soon.