Laboratory performance on analysis of mandatory nutrients and preparation of nutrition labelling.

This study assessed the performance of 17 laboratories in Thailand in analysing mandatory nutrients in salted, fried broad bean and in using data to prepare nutrition labels. Nutrient levels in the test material, as robust mean (x(∗)) and robust standard deviation (s(∗)), were assigned in line with ISO 13528. Data obtained from the laboratories were statistically evaluated against these values. Laboratories with satisfactory, questionable and unsatisfactory results for each nutrient were identified based on robust z-score. Laboratories achieving satisfactory analytical results (z-score⩽2) were for lipid, 82%; protein, 85%; Na, 82%; Ca, 62%; Fe, 81%; ash, 70%; and moisture, 62%. Reference values for some nutrients in broad bean powder were developed using data from satisfactorily performing laboratories. Less than 20% of the laboratories demonstrated good performance in preparing nutrition labels. Common mistakes were the nutrition information format, estimation of serving size and serving(s) per package.

Ochratoxin A in several grains in Iran.

Ochratoxin A content in 100 grain and derived products were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with immunoaffinity column clean-up and fluorometric detection. Ochratoxin A was detected in 32% of green gram, 13.3% of chickpea, 10% of lentil and 17.5% of wheat flour. Ochratoxin contamination was below the regulatory limits of the European Union and of Iran. Recovery was 97% and the limit of detection was 0.12 ng g⁻¹.

Effect of milling and preparation method on the physical properties and quality of moin-moin (steamed paste).

Moin-moin is steamed cowpea paste native to Nigeria. This product is classified as a protein/starch gel with the dominate portion of the gel network consisting of cowpea starch. Moin-moin was prepared from starting materials (cowpea meal and cowpea flour) and compared to moin-moin prepared from dry, whole, undecorticated cowpea seeds. Texture profile measurements showed that moin-moin made from cowpea flour (small particle size) formed a firmer structure when compared to moin-moin made from either cowpea meal or whole, dry cowpea seeds. Starting materials with smaller particle sizes and longer cooking times produced stickier moin-moin. The cowpea solids to water ratio was shown to affect the firmness of moin-moin, where a 3.75:1 ratio of solids to water produced a firmer product than other concentrations. Generally, color was unaffected across treatment regimens as identified by an expert sensory panel, although instrumental color measurements showed significant differences for hue angle and chroma. This study demonstrated that the particle size of this food ingredient contributes significantly to its functionality in food formulations.

A comparative study on phenolic profiles and antioxidant activities of legumes as affected by extraction solvents.

The objective of this study was to investigate how 6 commonly used solvent systems affected the yields of phenolic substances and the antioxidant capacity of extracts from 8 major classes of food legumes. Several antioxidant-related phytochemical compositions, namely, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoids content (TFC), and condensed tannins content (CTC), were investigated. In addition, antioxidant activities were tested using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging, ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). The results showed that the 50% acetone extracts exhibited the highest TPC for yellow pea, green pea, chickpea, and yellow soybean. Acidic 70% acetone (+0.5% acetic acid) extracts exhibited the highest TPC, TFC, and FRAP values for black bean, lentil, black soybean, and red kidney bean. The 80% acetone extracts exhibited the highest TFC, CTC, and DPPH-free radical scavenging activity for yellow pea, green pea, chickpea, and yellow soybean. The 70% ethanol extracts exhibited the greatest ORAC value for all selected legumes. These results indicated that solvents with different polarity had significant effects on total phenolic contents, extracted components, and antioxidant activities. High correlations between phenolic compositions and antioxidant activities of legume extracts were observed. The information is of interest to the nutraceutical food/ingredient industries since legumes are a rich source of antioxidants.

Comparative analyses of phenolic composition, antioxidant capacity, and color of cool season legumes and other selected food legumes.

The objective of this study was to characterize the phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities of U.S.-produced cool season legumes. A total of 33 cool season legume samples were selected. Some common beans and soybeans were included for comparisons. Total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and condensed tannin content (CTC) were analyzed. Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay, and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) were used for analyzing antioxidant properties. Color of the legume flour and the seed coat was also analyzed. TPC, TFC, CTC, FRAP, DPPH, and ORAC values of legumes were significantly different not only between classes but also among samples within each class. Among cool season legume classes, lentils possessed the highest concentrations of the phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities. Colored common beans and black soybeans exhibited higher TPC, TFC, CTC, FRAP, DPPH, and ORAC values than those of yellow peas, green peas, and chickpeas. Antioxidant activities (FRAP, DPPH, and ORAC) were strongly correlated (r= 0.96, 0.94, and 0.89, respectively, P < 0.01) with TPC. TPC and ORAC were moderately correlated (P < 0.01) with either the seed hull surface color or the flour color.

In vitro quality assessment of two tropical shrub legumes in relation to their extractable tannins contents.

The in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) of the two leguminous tree fodders Gliricidia sepium and Calliandra calothyrsus which differ in their tannin content was examined by the rumen simulation technique. Extractable condensed tannin (CT) concentrations ranged from 0.57% in G. sepium to 5.05% in C. calothyrsus using the butanol-HCl extraction. On the basis of their respective CT contents, G. sepium was classified as containing traces of CT, whereas C. calothyrsus had medium amounts of CT. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) was added at different concentrations (0, 1.5, 5 and 10 g/100 g plant material substrate) to assess the effect of tannins on IVDMD. The IVDMD was higher for G. sepium (range: 60-65%) than for C. calothyrsus (39.5-53.5%). In vitro gas production and IVDMD increased with increased PEG concentrations especially for C. calothyrsus. A non-significant response to increasing PEG concentrations for IVDMD of G. sepium confirms PEG binding with the tannins. On the basis of these results, it is assumed that G. sepium has a higher nutritive value than C. calothyrsus. Good relationship between PEG binding and the improvement of IVDMD confirms the usefulness of this technique for improving the nutritive value of tanniniferous tropical browses.

Protein quality evaluation in rats of typical diets for 4- to 6-year-old children from different socioeconomic areas living in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Legumes and cereals are principal sources of energy and protein in developing countries. In Oaxaca, Mexico, corn is the primary agricultural crop, therefore corn tortillas and beans are the main energy and protein sources. The objective of this study was to evaluate the protein quality in rats of typical diets for 4- to 6-year-old children from different socioeconomic areas in Oaxaca, Mexico. Composite diets representing the typical diets were formulated and fed to male weanling rats for 10 days. A control diet using casein as the reference diet and one free of nitrogen were included in the study. The apparent protein digestibility was determined in rats using the chromic oxide marker technique and the data was statistically analyzed for differences between control and experimental diets. Rats fed the diet of low income children gained about 2 g/day compared to about 3.8 g/day for the rats fed the control (casein) diet and had the lowest weight gain/g of protein intake. The NPR was 3.52 compared to 4.31 for the control diet. This diet is 67% vegetable protein and 33% animal protein. The diet for the medium income group contained a higher percentage of animal protein, 76% and thus higher digestibility, 78%. The results of this study indicate that the protein quality of children's diets in Oaxaca, Mexico, need to be improved.

Nutritional and sensory evaluation of akara made from blends of cowpea and hard-to-cook mottled brown dry beans.

The effect of replacing cowpea with hard-to-cook beans on the nutritional and sensory properties of akara were evaluated. Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), traditionally used for making akara, was substituted 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% with hard-to-cook (HTC) mottled brown beans (Phaseolus vulgaris). Cowpea (CP) soaked for 60 min HTC beans soaked for 18 h were separately decorticated, ground to a paste, and mixed in the following CP:MBB ratios: 0:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25, and 100:0. The paste mixtures were each whipped and fried into akara. The samples were analyzed for bulk density, nutritional composition, carbohydrate and protein digestibility, alpha-amylase inhibitor and trypsin inhibitor activity, and sensory attributes. The bulk density of paste as well as of akara increased with the increasing content of HTC bean. Akara made from composite paste had a relatively better amino acid profile. Frying beyond 5 min destroyed the alpha-amylase inhibitors as well as the trypsin inhibitor activity. No significant difference was observed in the overall acceptability of akara made from cowpea substituted up to 50% with HTC beans. Hence, this approach permits the utilization of hard-to-cook beans.

Variability in physicochemical and nutritional quality traits of parents, F2 and F3 generations of lentil crosses.

Ten physicochemical and nutritional quality traits (100-seed weight, seed volume, seed density, bulk density, hydration capacity, hydration index, swelling capacity, protein, tryptophan and energy value) were examined in the seed samples of parents, F2 and F3 generations of three microsperma x microsperma and two microsperma x macrosperma crosses of lentils. Significant variation for different traits was observed among the genotypes in both the groups and also among both types of crosses in F2 and F3 generations. Ranges, means and coefficients of variation (CV %) for various traits among parents, F2 and F3 generations of different crosses, along with the deviations between F2 and F3 generation means for various traits in different crosses are discussed. Also suggested is a breeding strategy for evolving lentil varieties with improved seed yield and nutritional quality parameters.

Nutritional evaluation of biologically treated white kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in pigs: ileal and amino acid digestibility.

We studied the effect of feeding young growing pigs a semisynthetic diet containing 7.5% white kidney beans-germinated (GB), pancreatin treated (PTB), or untreated (raw beans RB)--on protein and amino acid (AA) digestibilities at the terminal ileum. Eleven castrated male pigs (12.2 kg live weight) fitted with a post-valve T-cecal cannula and two blood catheters were used. The 15N-isotope dilution method was used to determine the amount of endogenous protein passing the terminal ileum and the true ileal protein digestibility. Ileal crude protein losses in pigs fed the RB, GB, and PTB diets were 51.9, 27.4, and 51.1 g/kg of DMI, respectively. The total amounts of AA passing the terminal ileum of the pigs fed the RB, GB, and PTB diets were 48.6, 21.4, and 42.2 g/kg DMI, respectively. The apparent ileal crude protein and AA digestibilities of the RB, GB, and PTB diets were 74, 87, and 75% and 76, 89, and 78%, respectively. True ileal protein digestibilities were 88, 93, and 93% for the RB, GB, and PTB diets, respectively. On the basis of this research, germination of white kidney beans improves the digestion of protein by decreasing the content of bean antinutritional factors and increasing the bean true ileal protein digestibility.