CHANGES IN SOYA BEAN LIPID PROFILES DURING KINEMA PRODUCTION

The influence of processing on soya bean lipids during kinema producti on was studied. The crude lipid (CL), free fatty acid (FFA) and phytos terol contents of raw beans were 121 g, 6.9 g and 0.8 g kg(-1) dry mat ter, respectively. After soaking and cooking the moisture content of b eans increased significantly from 121 to 749 g kg(-1), whilst the lipi d contents were unchanged. During a 2 day fermentation at 37 degrees C , the lipid contents increased significantly as indicated by capillary column gas chromatography (GC) analysis of petroleum ether extracts o f lyophilised samples of unfermented and fermented beans. The fatty ac ids, palmitic (C16:0), stearic (C18:0), oleic (C18:1), linoleic (C18:2 ), linolenic (C18:3) and arachidic (C20:0) acids were identified. The major fatty acid present in all samples was the essential fatty acid, linoleic acid. All of the aforementioned fatty acids (except arachidic ) were liberated during fermentation by microbial lipases, yielding ap proximately the same proportion of fatty acids found in unfermented be ans. The unsaponifiable soya bean lipids identified by GC were campest erol, stigmasterol and beta-sitosterol (ratio 1.2:1:3.4). Levels of th ese increased during fermentation by 50-61%, but remained in approxima tely the same proportions.