Effect of bean size on the physicochemical properties of different bean varieties (Phaseolus vulgaris)

Abstract

The textural properties and hydration capacity of legumes in general and of beans in particular is a subject about which much research has been done. However, at present there is still no practical answer to the “Hard to Shell” and “Hard to Cook” effects. The present investigation studies 14 varieties of recently picked beans that were grown in Mexico. The beans were classified by size using K-means multivariate analysis, and three fractions were obtained for each variety: large (L), medium (M) and small (S). These fractions were evaluated for hardness, water absorption rate and total water absorption. It was found that the small bean fraction of the varieties studied had the lowest hardness values in comparison to the medium and large fractions. This same behaviour was observed for the water absorption rate and total water absorption; the smaller beans absorbed water more quickly and had greater total water absorption than the other fractions. One kind of bean (Pinto Villa) proved to be much harder than ...