Effects of oven and foam mat drying on proximate, functional, and reconstitution characteristics of instant powders from selected legumes

The effects of oven and foam mat drying on proximate, functional, and reconstitution characteristics of instant powders from selected legumes were investigated. Cotyledons of the legumes were separately cooked and oven-dried, and separately cooked and foamed, using glyceryl monostearate and egg albumin, and oven-dried. Foam density of pastes incorporated with egg albumin or glyceryl monostearate (3-6 min) varied with whipping time and legume. Dry matter, protein, ash, crude fiber, fat and carbohydrate contents of oven- and foam-mat-dried legume powders varied from 92.75-98.75, 20.05-51.68, 0.96-1.07, 0.60-3.87, 1.36-4.13, and 43.63-71.85 g/100 g. Loose and packed bulk densities ranged from 0.48-0.63 to 0.68-0.9 g/ml, while WAC and OAC varied from 3.01-3.99 to 2.04-2.67 g/g, respectively. Dispersability, wettability, solubility, and swelling index varied from 6.33-216.00, 6.33-216.00, 6.67-46.01 s, and 2.54-6.67 g/g, respectively. The oven- and foam-mat-dried powders could provide the basis for preparation of acceptable instant soups from the selected legumes. Practical applications Legumes are cheap and good source of essential protein and other nutrients with great nutritional benefits. However, legumes have minimal utilization due to associated prolonged and difficulty of cooking, and low palatability. Moreover, the processing of legumes into soups is laborious, time-consuming, and energy intensive, particularly when the product is needed to be produced frequently. Conversion of underutilized legumes to instant soup-based powders to which other ingredients could be added for the preparation of soups has huge potentials. This will allow for the preparation of soups with different variety, taste, and consistency based on consumers' preference. Therefore, processing of underutilized legumes into instant soup-base powders which could be reconstituted and prepared present an innovative way of improving legume utilization and alleviate associated challenges. Dehydration of cooked legume cotyledon or pastes into instant powder would further enhance the shelf stability and reconstitution of the instant soup-base powders.

Automated summary

The study explored the effects of oven and foam mat drying on the characteristics of instant powders from legumes, finding that characteristics such as foam density, nutritional content, density, and water absorption capacity were affected by the drying methods.