Effect of cooking on cowpea protein fractions

Nine cowpea cultivars obtained from Wad Medani Research Station were used in this study. The variation in protein fraction was: albumins 4.0-12.0, globulins 65.6-79.7, prolamins 1.4-2.2, G1-glutelins 0.9-3.0, G2-glutelins 1.4-2.9, G3-glutenins 9.1-14.0 and insoluble protein 0.5-3.0%. Two cowpea cultivars, H8-14 and CB-46, selected for their high albumin content, were cooked in 150 ml of boiling distilled water under reflux for 45 minutes. The protein fractions in the cooked seeds were determined. Results indicated that albumin and globulin fractions decreased significantly (p < or = 0.05) for both cultivars after cooking. This decrease was accompanied by a significant increase in G3-glutelin fractions.