Contents and digestibility of carbohydrates of chickpea and black gram as affected by domestic processing and cooking

Starch digestibility (in vitro) and level of total soluble sugars, reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars and starch in cultivars of chickpea (Cicer arietinum), as well as black gram (Vigna mungo), varied significantly. The effects of different domestic processing and cooking methods on the contents of starch, sugars and starch digestibility (in vitro) of eight varieties of chickpea and four of black gram were investigated. Cooking, autoclaving and germination decreased the starch content and increased the level of total soluble sugars, reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars and starch digestibility of both the legumes. Soaking reduced the sugars considerably but starch only marginally. Autoclaving increased starch digestibility more than 4-fold and 5-fold in chickpea and black gram, respectively. Cooking and sprouting also improved starch digestibility appreciably.