Cooking characteristics,chemical composition and protein quality of newly developed genotypes of pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L)

Eight newly developed pigeonpea genotypes (ICPL 87, ICPL 151, ICPL 270, ICPL 366, ICPL 87051, ICPL 87063, ICPL 87067, and ICPV 1), and the two controls (BDN 2 and C 11) were analysed for cooking quality parameters and chemical composition, including amino acids and minerals. Protein quality was evaluated by determining the true protein digestibility, biological value, net protein utilisation (NPU), and utilisable protein. These genotypes differed significantly (P < 0–01) in the dhal cooking time. Sensory properties of dhal of these genotypes were found to be within the acceptable range, even though there were considerable differences among genotypes. Dhal protein, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and iron contents of these genotypes showed noticeable differences. Calcium content of ICPL 87067 was the highest (85-6 mg per 100 g) and of ICPL 87 the lowest (54-4 mg per 100 g) indicating large differences among the newly developed genotypes. No noticeable differences in sulphur-containing amino acids of these genotypes were observed. NPU was the highest (65–4%) for ICPL 366 and the lowest (56–6%) for ICPL 270 and ICPL 87067 indicating significant (P < 0–01) differences among genotypes studied.     

Physical and chemical analyses of pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) cultivars and F1 crosses

The weight of ‘dhal’ (the edible part of the seed) from 100 whole seeds, and the hull, protein, fat, starch and soluble carbohydrate contents of 12 pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) cultivars and the F₁ crosses were determined. The mean values for cultivars and the F₁ crosses differed in 100-seed wt, hull content (%) and protein and starch contents. Whereas 100-seed wt showed a high positive correlation with the weight of dhal, its correlation was significantly negative with hull content (%) in cultivars and protein content in the F₁ crosses.     

Nutritional evaluation of high protein genotypes of pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum (L.) leeke)

Three high protein (HP) inbred lines (700112, WC-190 and B-816) of pearl millet were studied for their nutritional quality and the results compared with those of normal protein varieties. The protein content of HP lines showed an average increase of 60% but the starch and soluble sugars together and the fat content decreased by 40 and 20%, respectively. Total dietary fibre of the HP lines was about 10% higher. A decrease (about 20%) in the albumin fraction was associated with an increase in prolamin in HP lines. The amino acid composition of the HP lines remained normal except for an approximately 16% decrease in lysine. However, the total amount of lysine in the sample increased by an average of 37%, as a result of a substantial increase in protein content. True protein digestibility was very high for each line but, expectedly, the biological value was markedly lower. The values for utilisable protein were highest for high protein genotypes. Digestible energy was high in all the genotypes, although slightly lower values were obtained for the HP lines; this was attributed to the fibre fractions.     

Proteinase inhibitors of redgram (Cajanus cajan)

Proteinase inhibitory activity of 35 varieties of redgram (Cajanus cujun L) was determined. Chymotrypsin inhibitory activity was more pronounced than trypsin inhibitory activity in all redgram varieties tested. Both trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitory activities were found to be markedly reduced on germination.     

Purification and characterisation of protease inhibitors from pigeon pea (cajanus cajan (l) millsp) seeds

Two protease inhibitors from Cajanus cajan seeds have been purified to homogeneity by trichloroacetic acid (TCA) solubilisation, ion-exchange and gel-filtration chromatography followed by preparative polyacrylamide gel electro-phoresis. One of the inhibitors, Cajanus trypsin-chymotrypsin inhibitor (CTCI), inhibits both bovine trypsin and chymotrypsin while the other, Cajanus trypsin inhibitor(CTI), inhibits only bovine trypsin. The two inhibitors contained no carbohydrate and had an isoelectric point of 6. CTCI and CTI had average molecular weights of 15000 and 10500, respectively. The purified inhibitors in solution were stable to heat at 80°C for 15 min and pH 7–10. In the pH range 3–5, 80% of the activity was retained. Autoclaving totally destroyed the inhibitor activity. CTCI had two sites for trypsin binding and one site for chymotrypsin binding while CTI had only one site for trypsin binding. The inhibitors were very specific towards mammalian serine proteases and did not inhibit other proteases or serine proteases of bacterial origin.     

Chemical composition and nutritional attributes of selected newly developed lines of soybean (Glycine max (L) Merr)

The chemical composition and nutritional properties of raw, autoclaved and boiled samples of three promising advanced breeding lines of soybean (TG_x 923 ? 2^EN, TG_x 1019 ? 2^EN and TG_x 1497 ? 1^D), part of a larger collection evaluated in agronomic field trials in Nigeria, were investigated. Protein quality was evaluated using weanling albino rats fed diets which were formulated to supply 10% protein using soybean samples, with casein as a control. Raw seeds contained 35.6–42.4% crude protein, 8.9–9.8 mg iron per 100 g, 8.62–18.21 mg trypsin inhibitor g^?1 and 2.25–6.15 mg phytic acid g^?1 seed flour. TG_x 923 ? 2^EN possessed higher crude protein contents and lower amounts of trypsin inhibitor, polyphenol and phytic acid compared with TG_x 1019 ? 2^EN or TG_x 1497 ? 1^D. Boiling proved more effective than autoclaving for reducing the levels of antinutrients and improving the protein quality of the beans, as shown by the higher values for weight gain, protein efficiency ratio (PER), net protein ratio (NPR) and true digestibility (TD) of boiled samples. There were no significant (p > 0.05) differences between the values obtained for PER, NPR and TD of diets containing boiled samples of TG_x 923 ? 2^EN and casein, indicating the nutritional superiority of this soybean line compared with TG_x 1019 ? 2^EN and TG_x 1497 ? 1^D. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

Proteinaceous Inhibitors of Trypsin and of Amylases in Developing and Germinating Seeds of Pigeon Pea ( Cajanus cajan(L) Millsp)

Inhibitors of trypsin and amylase in the extracts of developing seeds of 12 pigeon pea cultivars were analysed using a gel-X-ray film contact print technique and an enzyme-inhibitor assay, respectively. The inhibitors of amylase and trypsin in the extracts of germinating seeds of a pigeon pea cultivar (BDN2) were also studied. Nine trypsin inhibitor bands were detected in mature seeds of all the 12 cultivars. Inhibitory activities against amylase and trypsin were not detected in the extracts of seeds collected 11 and 27 days after flowering (DAF) by the enzyme-inhibitor assay. However, up to three trypsin inhibitor bands could be detected in the extracts of seeds collected 27 DAF by the gel-X-ray film contact technique. Two new slow-moving trypsin inhibitor bands were detected in the extracts of germinating seeds of BDN2 cultivar. These bands were prominent in extracts of seeds 10 days after germination (DAG). The amylase inhibitors and trypsin inhibitors in pigeon pea seeds are late synthesised proteins, their highest levels were observed in mature seeds and they were found to be slowly degraded during germination. Significant inhibitor activities were observed even 15 DAG. The amylases in developing seeds are insensitive to endogenous inhibitors.     

Tolerance of growing pigs to trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitors in chickpeas (Cicer arietinum) and pigeonpeas (Cajanus cajan)

The threshold level of growing pigs to trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitors was investigated by adding graded levels of meals rich in these inhibitors to diets and recording responses. Diets were formulated to contain either 250, 500 or 750 g kg^?1 of Opal chickpea, dehulled Tyson chickpea or dehulled pigeonpea meals and pig response compared to that of pigs given a wheat and soya-bean meal control. Trypsin inhibitor levels (mg g^?1) of the diets were, respectively, control, 0.2; chickpea meal 1, 1.2.32; chickpea meal 2, 1.7–4.7; pigeonpea meal, 1.4–3.6. Chymotrypsin inhibitor levels (mg g^?1) of the diets were, respectively, control, 0.2; chickpea meal 1. 0.9–2.2; chickpea meal 2, 1.6–4.5; pigeonpea meal. 0.8–2.1. The diets were offered ad libitum over the 20–50 kg growth phase. Growth responses of the pigs fed the two chickpea meals were similar to those of the pigs fed the control soya-bean meal diet (P>0.05). In contrast, the addition of pigeonpea meal linearly depressed growth rate (P<0.001), feed intake (P<0.05) and increased the feed conversion ratio (P<0.05), inclusion levels of the chickpea meals had no effect on organ weights, whereas the inclusion of pigeonpea meal significantly affected the weights of the liver and pancreas (P<0.05), indicating the presence of other anti-nutritional factors. The results indicate that the growing pig can tolerate dietary levels of at least 4.7 and 4.5 mg g^?1 of trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitors, respectively. These threshold levels are unlikely to be exceeded in conventional diets containing the majority of grain legumes. The results also indicate that dehulled pigeonpea meal contains an anti-nutritional factor(s) for growing pigs.     

Further characterisation of protease inhibitors from pigeon pea (cajanus cajan (l) millsp) seeds

Cajanus trypsin inhibitor (CTI) and Cajanus trypsin-chymotrypsin inhibitor (CTCI) previously purified from cv TAT-10 were further characterised. The modification of the inhibitors revealed the presence of lysine at the trypsin reactive site in both CTI and CTCI. Modification of tyrosine at the reactive site of CTCI did not abolish chymotrypsin inhibition suggesting the presence of leucine or phenylalanine as reported in other chymotrypsin inhibitors. CTCI did not contain tryptophan. Dissociation constants for the inhibitors with bovine trypsin were in the region of 0.69 nmol (CTCI) and 0.029 nmol (CTI). Although the protease inhibitors lost their inhibitory activity on exposure to 2-mercaptoethanol they remained attached to the enzyme. The inhibitors were not very effective against the protease from Helicoverpa armigera which is a serious field pest of Cajanus. Dissociation constants for the inhibitors with the larval enzyme were in the region of 100 nmol.     

Chemical composition and protein quality of newly released groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L ) cultivars

Five groundnut (Aruchis hypogueu L) cultivars developed by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and two local cultivars as controls were grown in post-rainy and rainy seasons at Patancheru, India. They were analysed for their proximate composition, minerals and trace elements, amino acid composition, true protein digestibility (TD), biological value (BV), net protein utilisation (NPU), and protein efficiency ratio. One-hundred seed mass, protein content and TD were significantly higher in the post-rainy season while starch, sugars, BV and NPU were significantly higher in the rainy season. Post-rainy cultivars exhibited higher concentrations of potassium, calcium, iron and several essential and non-essential amino acids. TD of blanched groundnut was better than that of the whole seeds. The composition and protein quality of ICRISAT cultivars were comparable to those of the controls.     

Effect of several pre-treatments on the physical characteristics of dehulled fraction of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L)

Processing of pigeon pea ( Cajanus cajan L.) involves pre-treatment in order to loosen the hull, followed by dehulling. In this study, different pre-treatments were investigated and different parameters such as moisture gain, temperature change during different steps of processing and dehulled fractions were measured and analysed. The highest temperature observed after pre-treatment was 92.1 °C and the lowest was 24.6 °C, for hydrothermal and wet methods, respectively. It was found that the hydrothermally treated pigeon pea gave the highest amount of dehulled grains, followed by the dry method. There were higher amounts of brokens (17.6 g) in case of wet method and lower (6.2 g) in case of dry method. Hydrothermal treatment was found suitable when compared with other pre-treatments. Cooked samples were tested against a 9-point hedonic scale and hydrothermally treated samples were found to have better acceptability.     

Effect of field infestations of immature pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.) pods on production of active (flight) and sedentary (flightless) morphs of Callosobruchus chinensis (L.)

A study conducted in Uganda on Callosobruchus chinensis showed that adults emerging from dry seed-infested and immature pod-infested pigeonpea differed in a number of morphological and biological characteristics in one or both sexes. Adults emerging from dry seed-infested pigeonpea were more or less uniform in a number of these characteristics; in contrast, adults emerging from green pod-infested pigeonpea differed depending upon when they emerged: the differences were greatest between those emerging during the 2nd to the 6th days from first emergence, and those emerging from the 8th to the last days of emergence. In one or both sexes, these differences were expressed in terms of elytral hue and size, body length, distance between the compound eyes, length of pygidium, body water content, pre-maturation periods, fecundity and adult longevity. We suggest that these differences are due to polymorphism, and specifically the predominance of flight forms among late emergers from pod-infested pigeonpea. The differences observed in the two morphs of C. chinensis and ascribed to the flight and flightless forms, are thought to be adaptations for survival and propagation under field and storage conditions, respectively. The predominance of emerged adults of the flightless forms from dry seed and the flight forms from green pods were associated with low moisture content in dry seed and high moisture content in green pods, respectively. These observations show that bruchid control measures are needed in the field as well as in storage.     

Nutrient composition and protein quality evaluation of eri silkworm (Samia ricinii) prepupae and pupae

Eri silkworm (Samia ricinii) is a traditional source of food in northeast India, where it is grown primarily for silk and food uses. Nutrient analysis showed that the proximate composition of eri silkworm prepupae and pupae grown on either castor or tapioca were comparable and it was a good source of protein (16 g%), fat (8 g%) and minerals. The amino acid scores of eri prepupae and pupae protein were 99 and 100, respectively, with leucine as the limiting amino acid in both cases. Net protein utilisation (NPU) of prepupae and pupae was 41 as compared to 62 in casein. Protein digestibility corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) was 86. The high protein content in the defatted eri silkworm meal (75%) with 44% total essential amino acids makes it an ideal candidate for preparing protein concentrate isolates with enhanced protein quality that can be used in animal nutrition.     

用烟叶化学成分进行烟叶质量评价

研究了以烟叶化学成分为基础,利用评价曲线对烟叶质量进行评价的方法。选取对烟叶质量有重要影响而相对独立的化学指标还原糖、总碱、氯和钾对批次烟叶进行多次取样检测,统计检测结果的平均值和变异值,根据平均值评价批次烟叶化学成分的合理性,根据变异值评价批次烟叶质量的一致性。评价时按烟叶实际可用性设计了评价得分曲线,构造相应的评价函数来计算评价得分。用此方法对17个批次烟叶进行了质量评价,计算了量化的烟叶质量一致性和化学成分合理性的评价得分,结果符合烟草加工企业对烟叶原料可用性评价的要求。该方法基础数据易得,评价结果贴合实际,是一种简便实用的烟叶质量评价方法。     

Nutritional evaluation of soya beans (glycine max): Nitrogen balance and fractionation studies

The poor nutritional performance of rats fed raw soya-bean-containing diets appeared to be due to reduced apparent digestion and absorption of dietary protein, coupled to changes in systemic metabolism leading to a poor overall nitrogen balance. Aqueous heat treatment greatly reduced but did not eliminate the antinutritional effect. Heat treatment with aqueous ethanol was more effective. The whey protein (pH 4.8 soluble extract) fraction contained the bulk of the trypsin inhibitor and haemagglutination activity and gave the poorest net protein utilisation value. However, an eight-fold increase in trypsin inhibitor content did not significantly effect apparent nitrogen digestibility. Therefore inhibition of gut proteolytic enzyme activity in vivo by soya bean trypsin inhibitors did not account fully for the poor nutritional performance. The problems elicited by soya bean are not transitory and thus there was a cumulative deterioration in overall performance for 16 weeks as a result of continuous exposure to soya bean.     

Storage of mung bean (Vigna radiata [L.] Wilczek) and pigeonpea grains (Cajanus cajan [L.] Millsp) in hermetic triple-layer bags stops losses caused by Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae)

Dry mung bean and pigeonpea grains that had sustained some insect damage but fumigated before the start of the experiment were stored in triple-layer hermetic bags (Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS™ bags) or woven polypropylene (PP) bags for 6 months. Some of the bags were artificially infested with cowpea bruchid Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) (PICS1, PP1) while others were not (PICS0, PP0). In an additional trial, PP bags containing the grains were treated with Actellic Super^® dust before being artificially infested (PP1Ac). Moisture content, live adult C. maculatus count, grain damage, weight loss, and seed germination were determined on a monthly basis. At six months, moisture contents of grain stored in PICS and PP bags remained below 12%. Storage in PICS bags halted multiplication of C. maculatus, and the initial damage level and weight of grains did not change. Conversely, in the PP bags, C. maculatus populations increased massively and seed damage reached 71.8 ± 1.9%, 76.9 ± 0.4%, and 60.3 ± 0.6% corresponding to weight losses of 14.5 ± 0.1%, 16.5 ± 0.2% and 12.5 ± 0.1% in PP0, PP1 and PP1Ac, respectively, in mung beans. With the pigeonpeas, seed damage reached 55.1 ± 0.6%, 95.7 ± 0.4% and 75.8 ± 0.9%, corresponding to weight losses of 13.0% ± 0.3%, 26.2 ± 0.2% and 13.5 ± 0.1%, in PP0, PP1 and PP1Ac, respectively. PICS bags are an effective tool for preserving mung beans and pigeonpeas against C. maculatus attack, and their performance is superior to that of Actellic Super^® dust.     

Nutritional evaluation of ethanol extracted Madhuca (Madhuca butyraceae) seed flour

Defatted Madhuca flour is toxic due to the presence of saponins. Alcohol, 20–95%, was used to remove the saponins and it was found that two stage 60% ethanol extraction removed 90% of the saponins present in the flour. Rat feeding trials using the ethanol extracted flour at 10 and 15% protein levels yielded PER of 0.8 and 1.5 respectively and did not show any ill effects other than minor cytoplasmic vacuolation in liver and kidney in histological studies.     

Nutritional quality evaluation of electron beam-irradiated lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) seeds

Nutritional and antinutritional qualities, and functional properties of raw and electron beam-irradiated (doses: 0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 15 and 30 kGy) lotus seeds were studied. Seeds were rich in protein, amino acids, unsaturated fatty acids and minerals, without heavy metal contamination. Irradiation of seeds revealed a decrease in crude protein and fibre, which was not significant at any of the doses. However, significant increase of ash (10 kGy onwards) and carbohydrates (at 30 kGy) were recorded after irradiation. Seed flours showed a significant dose-dependent decrease in water absorption capacity, while oil absorption capacity significantly increased from 10 kGy onwards (p < 0.05). Also, significant increase in protein solubility (5 kGy onwards) and foaming capacity (7.5 kGy onwards) with improvement in the least gelation capacity (5 kGy onwards) of seed flour (p < 0.05) was recorded after irradiation. Electron beam irradiation of seeds resulted in significant dose-dependent elevation of total phenolics and tannins, while phytic acid was eliminated at 5 kGy. Seeds of lotus can serve as food and minimise protein-energy malnutrition of economically weaker sections of the population in developing countries. The seed flours also possess great potential for development of new food products and formulations. As a physical method of preservation, electron beam irradiation was effective in the retention of the nutritional qualities of lotus seeds and is recommended for commercial exploitation.     

Nutritional quality and safety of cooked edible crab (Cancer pagurus)

Edible crab (Cancer pagurus) is one of the most important crustaceans consumed in Southern European countries, either as boiled or steamed cooked product. So far, the majority of studies assessing health benefits and risks associated to seafood consumption have been carried out in raw products, despite being generally cooked before consumption, and mostly in muscle tissue. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the effect of steaming and boiling on the chemical safety and nutritional value of C. pagurus caught in spring and summer. Generally, chemical and elemental composition of brown meat (tissue in the body cavity comprising mainly gonads and hepatopancreas) differed significantly from muscle (white meat in claws and legs). Additionally, the same tissue revealed differences in chemical and elemental composition of raw and cooked C. pagurus, likely due to water leaching. In contrast, few variations between seasons were observed. The results revealed that the consumption of cooked edible crab muscle should be promoted, whereas brown meat ingestion should be done parsimoniously.     

Hydroxypropylation of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) starch: Preparation, functional characterizations and enzymatic digestibility

Hydroxypropyl starch derivatives were prepared from pigeon pea starch (NPPS) which is an unconventional starch source. Functional parameters and characterization of both native and modified starches were carried out. The starch granules appeared oval or elliptical in shape with sizes ranging from 7 to 40 μm in width and 10 − 30 μm in length. Hydroxypropylation did not alter the shape of the starch granules in a pronounced way. Generally, the x-ray diffractograms of native pigeon pea starch showed the “A” pattern. However, slight reductions in the diffraction intensity of starches after modification were observed. At all temperatures studied (30-90 °C), swelling and solubility of hydroxypropylated starches were higher than the NPPS. Progressive increases in swelling capacity and solubility were observed as the molar substitution (MS) increased among the hydroxypropylated starches. Hydroxypropylation reduced starch paste turbidity on storage. Also, studies showed that syneresis reduced after hydroxypropylation. In addition, syneresis reduced as the MS of the hydroxypropyl starches increased. The results indicate that pasting temperature and peak temperature reduced after modification but peak viscosity increased in hydroxypropylated starch derivatives compared with the native starch. Setback reduced in hydroxypropylated starches compared with the native starch. Enthalpy of gelatinization and percentage retrogradation reduced after hydroxypropylation and progressive reductions were observed as the MS increased among the starch derivatives. Hydroxypropylation increased enzymatic digestibility.