Amino acid composition of beans and lentil

Abstract

The amino acid composition of raw seeds, lyophilised cooked seeds and the water soluble matter from cooking of three varieties of Slovenian common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), namely Češnjevec, Semenarna 22 and Cipro, and of the French green lentil (Lens esculenta) Anicia was determined. For the raw seeds, crude protein contents vary from 21.5, 23.5 and 26.2 g per 100 g of dry matter for the Češnjevec, Cipro and Semenarna 22, respectively, and 26.7 g in the lentil. However, non-protein N is higher in the lentil than in the beans. The contens of amino acids in beans are similar, whereas for the lentil concentrations of methionine and tyrosine are lower and the concentration of arginine much higher than for the beans. After cooking the amount of some amino acids (in 100 g of crude protein) increased, especially tyrosine, methionine and cystine, more in lentil and less in beans. The EAAI was higher in beans than in lentil and was increased after cooking the legumes. CS increased after cooking by more than 100 % for the lentil and 20 % for the beans. Analysis of the material obtained by drying the cooking water showed that predominantly non-essential amino acids were present in this fraction.