| Abstract: | The influence of processing on soya bean lipids during kinema production was studied. The crude lipid (CL), free fatty acid (FFA) and phytosterol contents of raw beans were 121 g, 6·9 g and 0·8 g kg−1 dry matter, respectively. After soaking and cooking the moisture content of beans increased significantly from 121 to 749 g kg−1, whilst the lipid contents were unchanged. During a 2 day fermentation at 37°C, the lipid contents increased significantly as indicated by capillary column gas chromatography (GC) analysis of petroleum ether extracts of lyophilised samples of unfermented and fermented beans. The fatty acids, palmitic (C16:0), stearic (C18:0), oleic (C18:1), linoleic (C18:2), linolenic (C18:3) and arachidic (C20:0) acids were identified. The major fatty acid present in all samples was the essential fatty acid, linoleic acid. All of the aforementioned fatty acids (except arachidic) were liberated during fermentation by microbial lipases, yielding approximately the same proportion of fatty acids found in unfermented beans. The unsaponifiable soya bean lipids identified by GC were campesterol, stigmasterol and β-sitosterol (ratio 1·2:1:3·4). Levels of these increased during fermentation by 50–61%, but remained in approximately the same proportions. |
