Lipid legume

Flavor is one of the major characteristics that restricts the use of legume flours and proteins in foods. Processing of soybeans, peas and other legumes often results in a wide variety of volatile compounds that contribute flavor notes, such as grassy, beany and rancid flavors. Many of the objectionable flavors come from oxidative deterioration of the unsaturated lipids. The lipoxygenase-catalyzed conversion of unsaturated fatty acids to hydroperoxides, followed by their degradation to volatile and non-volatile compounds, has been identified as one of the important sources of flavor and aroma components of fruits and vegetables. An enzyme-active system, such as raw pea flour, may have most of the necessary enzymes to produce short chain carbonyl compounds. 

Wehmeyer et al. (1969), Bower et al. (1988), and Amarteifio and Moholo (1998) reported the content of carbohydrate to be 23%, 24%, and 19%, respectively. These values have been obtained indirectly as the difference between 100% and the content of proteins, lipids, and minerals. Holse et al. (2010) found that the content of carbohydrate was dominated by total dietary fiber as it varied between 18.7% and 26.8% dm (Table 5.2). The majority of the dietary fiber is insoluble as only about 4% of the dietary fibers are soluble. Comparing the content of total dietary fiber of morama bean with the content of peanut (9% dm) and soybean (10% dm) (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2007), it appears that the morama bean has a considerably higher level of indigestible carbohydrates. Holse et al. (2010) also reported a very low starch content, which is in contrast to other legumes, in which starch is usually the most abundant carbohydrate... 

The observation of a lower incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) and certain types of cancers in the Mediterranean area led to the hypothesis that a diet rich in grain, legumes, fresh fruits and vegetables, wine in moderate amounts, and olive oil was beneficial to human health. To date, this effect has been mainly attributed to the low saturated fat intake of the Mediterranean diet and its high proportion of monounsaturates, which indeed may favorably affect the plasma lipid and lipoprotein profiles. Nevertheless, other components of the diet, such as fiber, vitamins, flavonoids, and phenols, may play an important role in disease prevention, acting on different cardiovascular variables. 

Ferguson, G.P., Datta, A., Carlson, R.W., Walker, G.C. Importance of unusually modified lipid A in Sinorhizobium stress resistance and legume symbiosis. Mol Microbiol 56 (2005) 68-80. 

Tocopherols and tocotrienols, collectively known as tocols, are monophenolic and lipophilic compounds that are widely distributed in plant tissues (7). The main commercial source of natural tocopherols is the soybean oil. Tocotrienols, less common than tocopherols, are present in palm oil, rice bran oil, as well as cereals and legumes (11). Tocopherols and tocotrienols are classified into a-, (3-, y-, and 5-, depending on their chemical structures (Figure 7). In general, tocotrienols have a stronger antioxidant effect on lipid oxidation than tocopherols. The antioxidant activity of tocopherols is dependent on temperature and is in the order of 5- > y->P-> oc-tocopherol (7). Tocopherols (mixed natural concentrate) are a golden... 

Besides phospholipid composition, the main difference between plant/legume lecithin (e.g., soy) and lecithin in egg yolk is that the former has a higher unsaturated fatty acid content and no cholesterol. Egg lecithin as a commercial ingredient, with the exception of some medical feeding programs, is too expensive for routine use in food (10). In some infant formulas, egg yolk lipids and egg lecithin are used (22). 

A U.S. patent by Miller et al. [42] describes the use of legume products for topical applications for the good health of skin. Legumes such as soybeans contain high levels of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates, and are considered very good nutrients for maintaining skin tone and texture. 

Sessa, D.J. J.J. Rackis. Lipid-derived flavors of legume protein products. J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 1977,54, 468-473. 

Jang Y, Lee JH, Kim OY, Park HY, and Lee SY. Consumption of whole grain and legume powder reduces insulin demand, lipid peroxidation, and plasma homocysteine concentrations in patients with coronary artery disease randomized controlled clinical trial. Arterioscler Thromb Vase Biol. 2001 21 2065-2071. 

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