EFFECT OF PROCESSING ON NUTRITIONAL AND ANTINUTRITIONAL FACTORS OF MOONGBEAN CULTIVARS

Ordinary cooking of presoaked and unsoaked seeds of six cultivars of m oongbean (Vigna radiata L.) lowered phytic acid, polyphenols, trypsin inhibitors and improved in vitro digestibility of protein and starch, and availability of Ca, Fe and Zn when compared to unprocessed seeds. However, the effect was more pronounced on ordinary cooking of presoak ed seeds followed by cooking of unsoaked seeds and presoaked seeds alo ne. A significant increase in vitro digestibility of protein (34-48%), and starch (31-62%) may be ascribed to the reduced content of phytic acid (45-65%) polyphenols (34-70%) and trypsin inhibitor activity (42- 55%) after ordinary cooking of presoaked seeds of moongbean cultivars. Therefore, ordinary cooking of soaked seeds was the most effective tr eatment in improving the nutritional quality of moongbean.