Abstract
Manak, the high yielding cultivator of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) released by (International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics) ICRISAT, India was subjected to various domestic processing and cooking methods viz., soaking (6, 12 and 18 h, 30°C), soaking and dehulling, ordinary cooking, pressure cooking and germination (24, 36 and 48 h, 30°C). The unprocessed seeds of this variety contained considerable amounts of phytic acid Le. 917 mg per 100g. This antinutrient was reduced significantly (P <0.05) to varying extents (4–37%) in the processed samples. Except soaking and dehulling, the remaining processing and cooking methods did not lower the contents of total calcium, phosphorus and iron. That HCl-extractability of these dietary essential minerals, an index of their bioavailability, enhanced significantly when the pigeonpea seeds were processed and cooked, may be due to reduction in phytate content, which is known to chelate the minerals. A significant and negative correlation between the phytic acid and HCl-extractability of minerals further strengthens our findings.
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