The impact of common bean cooking and regeneration on the functional properties of the final product

Legumes, in particular common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) constitute a sustainable source of food and nutrition security in both developed and developing countries. Common beans are considered a staple food for many people in Asia, South America and Africa. In addition, there is a renewed interest in legume seeds as part of a more plant-based diet in a western context. The production of common beans is seasonal; thus, beans are normally dried for storage at ambient conditions. However, storage under adverse conditions of temperature and relative humidity leads to development of ageing phenomena, a.o. a textural defect, Hard-to-Cook (HTC) that limits the consumption and acceptance of pulses. HTC pulses require long cooking time, high fuel and water consumption. Additionally, the long cooking time is detrimental to labile nutrients. In this context, this study focuses on four research objectives: (i) The collection of a broad range of common bean accessions and their characterization in terms of cooking behavior and sensitivity towards the development of hard to cook. (ii) The detailed analysis of the different accessions identified in view of understanding their different cooking behavior, in particular the cooking behavior of the fresh dry beans. The objective is to identify the rate-limiting steps of cooking as well as the to identify key differences between different accessions/ varieties. (iii) A study on the drying behavior of precooked seeds as well as the regeneration of these pre-cooked beans. An approach based on the use of specific beans classes (within a single batch) or even single beans will be implemented. (iv) A study of the storage stability of precooked dry pulses and its influence on their regeneration behavior, consumer acceptability and nutritional properties.