Food Properties of Hull, Dehulled and Whole Seed Samples of Bambara Groundnut (Vigna subterranea L. Verdc)
The functional properties of the testa, dehulled and whole seed samples of Vigna subterranea were examined under different neutral salt concentrations. Parameters examined for were: foaming capacity (FC), foaming stability (FS), water absorption capacity (WAC), emulsion capacity (EC), lowest gelation concentration (LGC) and protein solubility (PS). Results showed that the highest FC was recorded for NaCl at 0.5 % salt concentration, the lowest FC was recorded for Na2SO3 at 10 % salt concentration. Most of the present values of FS were lower than those reported for some legumes in literature. WAC values ranged between 250- 400 % (testa), 140-240 % (dehulled) and 100-240 % (whole seeds) in the various salt solutions; high WAC values could make the samples useful replacement in various food formulations such as baked goods and custards. The EC results showed that EC depended on salts concentrations and the type of salts under consideration. LGC results were in the range of 2.0-8.0 % which were mostly lower or within the range of most literature values for leguminous seeds. For the five salts used in the analysis (NaCl, Na2CO3, Na2SO3, NaNO3 and CH3COONa), the proteins in the samples were more soluble in the basic region of pH. The PS figures mostly showed two distinct peaks meaning that the bambara groundnut samples might be having two major proteins.
