We tested nutritional usability of pea seeds (Pisum sativum L.) at full maturity. Four white-flowering and 5 colour-flowering new Polish cultivars were compared. We determined proximate composition of ground seeds collected over 4 years period as well as amino acids, minerals (Ca, P, Na, K), tannins and fiber fractions (NDF, ADF, ADL). The seeds contained between 224 and 260 g·kg-1 of crude protein which was rich in Lys (6.8±0.8 g) but poor in Met+Cys (2.0±0.2 g·16 g-1 N). The amount of tannins (as tannic acid equivalent) in white-flowering cvs was 4.3±0.9 g and in colour-flowering - 7.4±2.2 g. The calculated protein nutritional values were compared against amino acid standards of human and animal nutrition and the whole egg protein. Effects of the cropping year and variety variance in respect of chemical composition of seeds were examined. Crude protein, crude oil, N-free extractives, tannins, K, amino acid content: Leu, Phe+Tyr and Ala content were influenced significantly by the cultivar, while the cropping year had a significant influence on dry matter, crude ash, crude protein, crude fibre, crude oil, N-free extractives ADF and ADL fiber fractions, content of P, Na and K, most of the amino acid levels and on nutritional values of the protein measured by means of CS and EAAI indices.
