Protein quality of germinated Phaseolus vulgaris

Advantages of seed germination consist of an increase in the bioavailability of proteins as well as the change in the antinutritional factors which limit their utilization. Throughout this work, the effects of germination and cooking after germination on the protein in black and white beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) were evaluated. Antinutritional factors that affect the utilization of such protein were also assessed. The amounts of protein, available lysine, tannins, PER, and protein digestibility in vitro and apparent, of beans germinated and germinated-cooked were quantified. The germination significantly (p≤0.05) increased the content of proteins, inactived trypsin inhibitors, and raised the available lysine. Germination and cooking completely inactivated the trypsin inhibitors, which became lysine less available, decreased tannins, and increased protein digestibility and PER value. Differences between black and white beans were observed and attributed to variations in structure, composition, and varieties, among other factors. Cooking complements the effect of germination by improving the protein quality of P. vulgaris and increasing its bioavailability for the human consumption.