Legume diets

Mengs, U. 1998. Toxicity of an aqueous mistletoe extract Acute and subchronic toxicity in rats, genotoxicity in vitro. In Bardocz, S., U. Pfueller, and A. Pusztai, eds. Effects of antinutrients on the nutritional value of legume diets. Luxembourg European Commission. 

Mycotoxias fiad thek way kito the human diet by way of mold-contaminated cereal and legume crops, meat, and milk products. Com and peanuts probably represent the most common sources of mycotoxias ki the human diet. Many mycotoxias are acutely toxic as well as being poteat carckiogeas (86). 

Molybdenum, recognized as an essential trace element for plants, animals, and most bacteria, is present in a variety of metaHo enzymes (44—46). Indeed, the absence of Mo, and in particular its co-factor, in humans leads to severe debility or early death (47,48). Molybdenum in the diet has been impHcated as having a role in lowering the incidence of dental caries and in the prevention of certain cancers (49,50). To aid the growth of plants. Mo has been used as a fertilizer and as a coating for legume seeds (51,52) (see FERTILIZERS Mineral NUTRIENTS). 

Choline occurs widely in nature and, prepared synthetically, it is available as an article of commerce. Soybean lecithin and egg-yolk lecithin have been used as natural sources of choline for supplementing the diet. Other important natural-food sources include Hver and certain legumes (18—22). 

The beneficial effects of dietary fiber, including both soluble and iasoluble fiber, are generally recognized. Current recommendations are for daily iatakes of 20—35 g ia a balanced diet of cereal products, fmits, vegetables, and legumes. However, the specific preventive role of dietary fiber ia certaia diseases has beea difficult to estabUsh, ia part because dietary risk factors such as high saturated fat and high proteia levels are reduced as fiber levels iacrease. 

Applications and uses of high protein legume flours in fortification of fried and baked goods and other food products for both Western and traditional diets of developing countries are covered in greater detail in Chapters 2-6. To achieve the balance needed in a treatise on food proteins and to include information... 

Although a fried cowpea paste product such as akara is unfamiliar to consumers in the Western world, this use for cowpeas may have application as a snack food or as a bread-like accompaniment for fish or poultry. Legumes already play an important role in the diets of the world s population. Applications in which legumes perform successfully increase the potential for extending their usage even further. 

Legume seeds, such as soy and other pulses, are widely used as protein sources in the human diet. Recent advances in technology suggest that protein concentrates and isolates made by relatively simple methods can be incorporated into food products. 

From a global view, plant protein sources (cereals, legumes, oilseeds, vegetables, fruits) have always been the primary source of dietary energy and protein for the majority of the world s population. In addition, in recent years, the use of vegetable protein products as sources of dietary protein, as supplements, and as extenders of more traditional animal protein sources has been increasing markedly in the developed countries. These factors are responsible for our interest in determining the effects of plant protein sources on the utilization of minerals in the human diet. 

Health consequences of procyanidins in the human diet are relatively unknown, but the toxicity for human beings may be similar to the toxicity observed in experimental animals (12). Bender and Mohammidiha (31) proposed that increased fecal nitrogen from rats fed diets containing large quantities of cooked legumes was due to increased gastrointestinal mucosal cell turnover, rather than poor... 

Characteristically, legume seeds are rich in protein and contain intermediate to high levels of lysine and threonine which are important in balancing the deficiencies of these essential amino acids in cereal diets. Certain legume proteins, such as soybean, also exhibit strong functional properties, especially water solubility, water and fat binding and emulsification. Thus soybean flours, protein concentrates and isolates have been used widely as nutritional supplements and functional ingredients in foods. 

Another point to be considered is the form in which the protein-containing food is consumed and the efficiency of extraction or use of the protein in human diet. When this is considered, most of the seed-type foods, beans and legumes, have efficiencies which overcome their lowered production potential. Thus, these foods can be directly consumed and this results in a very efficient use in the human body. Many grasses and... 

Vegetarians need to be aware of the amino acids present in their diet, since most animal proteins contain amino acids approximately in proportion to those required by humans but this is not true for all vegetable proteins. This problem is particularly severe for those dependent on a single source of plant protein, for example corn or rice, as is frequently the case in poorer parts of the world. In general, legumes are low in methionine while cereals are low in lysine. Some strains of com now contain lysine, but the best advice to vegetarians is to include as wide a variety of plants as possible in their diet (Chapter 15). 

The best sources of manganese are wheat bran, dried legumes, seeds, nuts and leafy green vegetables, other good sources are cereal grains, coffee and tea. The adequate range in adult diet is 2.5 to 5.0 mg/day. 

Sufficient protein can generally be obtained in a vegetarian diet by combining a legume, such as peas or beans, with a grain, such as wheat or corn. Familiar meals containing such a combination include a peanut butter sandwich, corn tortillas and refried beans, and rice and toffi. 

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