Rg. Ruiz et al., EFFECT OF SOAKING AND COOKING ON THE SAPONIN CONTENT AND COMPOSITION OF CHICKPEAS (CICER-ARIETINUM) AND LENTILS (LENS-CULINARIS), Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 44(6), 1996, pp. 1526-1530
Changes in the saponin content and composition of both chickpeas (Cice
r arietinum) and lentils (Lens culinaris) were investigated after the
seeds were soaked in distilled water, citric acid, and sodium bicarbon
ate solutions. The effect of cooking for 30, 60, 90, and 120 min after
the seeds were presoaked in distilled water was also studied. Soaking
did not modify the saponin content or composition of chickpeas and le
ntils regardless of the pH of the soaking solution. The native saponin
, soyasaporin VI, was partially degraded during cooking into soyasapor
in I, and both of these saponins leached into the cooking solution, 2-
5% and 6-14% for chickpea and lentil, respectively. An overall loss of
saponin content was found for lentil (15-31% loss), but none was obse
rved for chickpea.