International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition

Authors
Oraka Cecilia Ogechukwu, Okoye, Joseph Ikechukwu

Abstract
The effect of heat processing treatments on the nutrient and anti-nutrient contents of lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus) flour were investigated. The lima bean seeds were sorted, cleaned and processed into boiled, roasted and autoclaved lima bean flours. The flours obtained were analysed for proximate, vitamin and anti-nutrient contents using standard methods. The proximate composition of the samples revealed that the flours had a range of moisture, 8.25±0.01 - 10.21±0.06%, crude protein, 18.24 ±0.02 - 22.72±0.00%, ash, 3.94±0.13 - 4.82 ±0.02%, fat, 1.47±0.03 - 1.68±0.00%, crude fibre, 3.62±0.00 - 4.27±0.02%, carbohydrate, 57.31±0.13 - 62.89±0.01%, and energy 334.11±0.30 - 339.91±0.18kJ/100g, respectively. The vitamin contents of the flours showed that the samples contained 3.40±0.00 - 4.57±0.05mg/100g ascorbic acid, 0.03±0.00-0.07±0.00mg/100g thiamine, 0.02±0.00 - 0.08±0.00mg/100g riboflavin, 0.19±0.00 - 0.25±0.00mg/100g niacin, 2.77±0.04 - 5.72±0.00mg/100g vitamin A and 1.86±0.00 - 2.94±0.00mg/100g vitamin E, respectively. The result of the anti-nutrient composition of the flours also showed that the alkaloid, phytate, saponin, tannin, trypsin inhibitor, oxalate levels of the samples were significantly (p<0.05) reduced by autoclaving and boiling treatments compared to the sample processed by roasting. In addition, the saponin content of the flours was relatively higher in boiled sample than in roasted and autoclaved flours. However, the nutrient and anti-nutrient contents of the flours observed that the flours have the potentials to be used as nutritional supplements in the preparation of a variety of food products than the raw sample.