Influences of cooking and storage on γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content and distribution in mung bean and its noodle products

The gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content and distribution of mung bean (MB), heat and relative humidity treated MB (HRH-MB) under different cooking and storage conditions were investigated. The quality characteristics of noodles prepared by MB and HRH-MB were evaluated. Results showed that black MB varieties presented a higher average GABA content under HRH treatment than that of green MB varieties. Soaking significantly increased the GABA content of MB (P < 0.05), but, 58.78% of GABA in HRH-MB were distributed in the soaking solution. After cooking, although the GABA of HRH-MB had a slightly degradation, its content was higher than MB. With the increase of storage time, the GABA content in MB increased initially, followed by a decrease, whereas a slower reduction was observed on HRH-MB. Besides, compared with the mixed MB-wheat flour and noodles, the pasting properties of mixed HRH-MB-wheat flour, the color and texture properties of mixed HRH-MB-wheat noodles were improved and closer to wheat flour and noodles, respectively. Furthermore, the mixed HRH-MB-wheat noodles exhibited the highest GABA content (16.56 mg/100 g DW) after cooking. Therefore, HRH-MB may be an ideal material for enhancing GABA and improving the quality characteristic of MB-based foods.

Automated summary

The study showed that black mung bean varieties with heat and relative humidity treatment had higher GABA content compared to green varieties. Soaking increased GABA content in mung beans, but a portion of it was distributed in the soaking solution. After cooking, the GABA content in heat and humidity treated mung beans slightly degraded, but remained higher than untreated mung beans.