Defatted flour was prepared from germinated and ungerminated melon seeds. Protein solubility, foaming and emulsification capacities were measured over the pH range of 2.0 to 11.0 and NaCl concentrations of O. I M to I .O. M. Below and above pH 4, protein solubility increased reaching maximum values of 60% and 70% for ungerminated and germinated flour respectively at pH 10.5. The emulsification capacity versus pH profile and the foaming capacity versus pH profile showed close resemblance to the protein solubility versus pH curve suggesting that those properties depended on solubilized protein. Protein solubility of ungerminated and germinated flour was reduced at higher salt concentrations of 0.6M and0.8M respectively, which also altered the emulsifying and foaming properties. The germinated flour showed higher protein solubility, foaming and emulsification capacities than the ungerminated flour at all pH and NaCl levels, may be due to protein modification occurring during germination.
Abstract:Bitter Leaf is a vegetable that is widely consumed and cherished in South-Eastern Nigeria. Palm oil, Potash, Salt and boiling process was used in the squeeze-washing at 3 pre-processing methods of squeeze-wash and periods of 3 to 8 minutes. The percentage retention and losses of mineral and antinutrient increased simultaneously during squeeze-washing. Copper, magnesium, calcium and antinutrient had retention of 55 to 100% for samples squeezed-washed with palm oil than the other squeeze-washed samples. This could be due to rigidity of the cells which did not allow much nutrient leached into the squeezed leaf/water; whereas, the loss of mineral and antinutrients was practically of the same magnitude (27.3 to 80.5%) in all the samples. Loss of minerals and antinutrients was observed to be influenced directly by the cause-and-effect of disintegration changes which usually leads to softening due to the severity of the squeeze-washing on the bitter leaf instead of cellular composition or level of minerals and antinurients initially present. The results are discussed in relation to traditional commercial practice of bitter leaf processing.
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