Abstract
Post-harvest characteristics of common beans influences its classification, which significantly affects processing time and energy requirements. In this work, ten bean cultivars were classified as either easy-to-cook (ETC) or hard-to-cook (HTC) based on a traditional subjective finger pressing test and a scientific objective hardness test. The hardness study used seed coat rigidity to explain the structural deformation observed during cooking. The result shows that the average hardness of raw dry ETC and HTC beans was 102.4 and 170.8 N, respectively. The maximum seed coat resistance is observed within the first 30 min of cooking regardless of the classification. The results show that a modified three-parameter non-linear regression model could accurately predict the rate of bean softening (R2 = 0.994–0.999 and RMSE = 3.3–14.7%). The influence of bean softeners such as potassium carbonate (K2CO3) and sodium chloride (NaCl) to reduce cooking time was also investigated. The results showed that the addition of K2CO3 to the cooking water significantly reduced the cooking time by up to 50% for ETC and 57% for HTC.
Highlights
IntroductionCommon beans are an essential food and export commodity in many regions of the world
Common beans are an essential food and export commodity in many regions of the world.They are unique sources of plant protein and energy in the diets of more than 300 million people in parts of East Africa and Latin America
Using the locally accepted cooking time classifier of two hours, the bean varieties were classified as either easy-to-cook beans (ETC) or as hard-to-cook (HTC)
Summary
Common beans are an essential food and export commodity in many regions of the world. They are unique sources of plant protein and energy in the diets of more than 300 million people in parts of East Africa and Latin America. Beans are low in fats and rich in proteins, complex carbohydrates, and micronutrients [1]. The presence of flatulence oligosaccharides, antinutrients, and the hard-to-cook (HTC) behavior reduces its potential global consumption [2]. This HTC phenomenon necessitates cooking beans for long hours and requires very high energy demand. There is evidence that the long cooking time is partly influenced by the properties of the beans, such as seed size, variety, and storage conditions, as well as pre-cooking treatments and cooking methods [3,4,5]
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