Trypsin inhibitors and hemagglutinins in certain edible leguminosae

All raw legumes contain, in different proportion, several toxic substances that prevent consumption in their natural form. In this study the contents of the two main toxic products and their degree of destruction after thermic treatment similar to home cooking techniques were determined in 13 edible legumes. Proximate chemical analysis was made, and in vitro digestibility, contents of trypsin inhibitors and hemagglutinins in raw and cooked samples were studied. In the cooking treatment the legumes were boiled for two hours at boiling temperature under atmospheric pressure. Protein content in the samples was high, as in most legumes (20 per cent or more). Peas, lentils and broad beans had the lowest content of trypsin inhibitors and hemagglutinins. Cooking destroyed these substances, but did not improve in vitro digestibility, probably because of the reactions between their components when exposed to heat.