Malomo, O., Alamu, A.E., and Oluwajoba, S.O.(2014). .Effect of Germination on the Antinutritional and Toxic factors of Cowpea. .International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition Engineering. 3 0(4) 49-53
Abstract
Germination had been speculated to possess the ability to eliminate if possible to some extent reduce some anti nutritional and toxic factors in legume, especially cowpea grains. The study was carried out on cowpea (vigna unguiculata), which was germinated for 5 days and the flatulence factor attributed to the oligosaccharides component of cowpea grains and the trypsin inhibitor associated with legumes were analysed. The result showed a drastic reduction of the trypsin inhibitor, measured by the trypsin inhibitor unit TUI/g from 1875 TUI/g in raw cowpea to 435 TUI/g on the fifth day of germination. The oligosaccharides component of raffinose family recorded as 6.5% for stachyose, 0.2% for raffinose and 1.9% for sucrose, on percent dry matter, while the second day the sucrose component increased astronomically to 11.4% with only traces of stachyose and raffinose. However, an unidentified carbon component of 3.5 % was observed. This trend continued to the fifth day, with 18.6% sucrose, traces of stachyose and 4.5% of the unidentified carbon compound. This unidentified carbon component was suggestive of a cyanogenic compound, built up within the grain as a defensive mechanism to ward off possible insect predators to the grain.
Keywords: Germination, Trypsin inhibitors, Oligosaccharides, Cowpea, Legumes
Cite this paper: Malomo Olu., Alamu E. A., Oluwajoba S. O., Effect of Germination on the Anti Nutritional and Toxic Factors of Cowpea, International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition Engineering, Vol. 4 No. 2, 2014, pp. 49-53. doi: 10.5923/j.food.20140402.04.