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A study is conducted to characterize the phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities of U.S.-produced cool season legumes. Total phenolic content, total flavanoid content, condensed tannin content, ferric reducing antioxidant power, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhyrazyl, and oxygen radical absorbance capacity values of legumes are significantly different between classes and among samples within each class.

The study is conducted to examine how 6 commonly used solvent systems affected the yields of phenolic substances and the antioxidant capacity of extract from 8 major classes of food legumes. The results have shown that solvents with different polarity have significant effects on total phenolic contents, extracted components and antioxidant activities.

A study was conducted to determine the effect of accelerated hardening of beans on yield and physicochemical, functional, and toxicological properties. Protein recovery in the isolation procedure for fresh bean isolate (FB1) was 45.5% and 36.15% for hardened bean isolate (HB1) however the amount of protein was similar in both isolates.

The initial rapid softening and later slower softening of legumes soaked and cooked in distilled water fits a pseudo first-order mechanism. The temperature effects on thermal softening are according to the Arrhenius equations. Cooking lentils, chick peas, broad beans, and three cultivars of beans at 80, 85, 90, or 95 degrees centigrade for different time periods leads to varying thermal softening.

An analysis of the molecular behavior in the thermal association-dissociation and gelation properties of legumin obtained from broad beans is presented. An analysis of a solution composed of 0.5% legumin when heated did not manifest dissociation of legumin or gel formation but showed the presence of an association of legumin molecules forming soluble aggregate structures. Furthermore, the gelling process is improved by hydrophobic interactions and disulfide bonding and had significant effects on rate of formation of the soluble aggregate structures.

Legumes are commonly prepared for consumption by soaking seeds in water overnight prior to cooking. However, such legume consumption has been constrained by a storage-induced textural defect known as the hard-to-cook (HTC) phenomenon. HTC is developed when legumes are stored in either high temperature or high relative humidity, causing the seeds' protein quality to deteriorate. The HTC phenomenon can also be explained by the partial dependence of the cooking quality of legumes on the sequence of coagulation of storage proteins and swelling of starch granules during heating. The HTC defect of legumes thus develops during storage and soaking but is exhibited only during cooking.

Field pea starches and navy or pinto bean starches exhibit varied characteristics due to difference in granule size. Field pea starch demonstrates properties such as high amylose content and swelling power, which improve extrusion processing. The starch granules of pinto and navy beans are smaller than field peas.

Levels of pantothenic acid and biotin in samples of dried legumes were examined for the influence of short or long soak in a presoaking treatment with cooling times of 20, 90 or 150 min. Average pantothenic acid retention in legumes for 20 minutes for treatments with long soak, short soak and no presoak, was 44%, 33% and 76%, respectively while biotin retention was 90%, 86% and 95% for these situations.

The rating of overall acceptability of a snack food, seviya, was the lowest for that derived from green gram, succeeded by pigeonpea, lentil and chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), but the oil absorption by the product was the lowest for green gram, succeeded by chickpea, black gram and lentil. The oil absorption of seviya was greatly affected by the flour particle size, starch and protein contents.

The study was conducted to determine the effect of phenolic content and antioxidant activity of Eclipse black beans after soaking, boiling and steam processing. Results showed all three processes affected the phenolic contents and antioxidants activities and was related to the processing conditions.

The maximum amount of legume flours, including green pea, yellow pea, lentil and chickpea flours, that could be incorporated in spaghetti processing and the consumer acceptance of the products containing legume flours are investigated. It is found that consumers preferred control spaghetti (without legume additive) more than the spaghetti containing legume flours and they slightly liked the spaghetti with 15% lentil or green pea and the spaghetti with 20% chickpea or yellow pea.

An investigation to determine an energetically feasible method to reduce bean oligosaccharides for large-scale bean flour production is performed. Michigan black, red, and navy beans are treated by alpha-galactosidase, germination, or hydration to determine treatment effects on stachyose and raffinose levels.