The factors responsible for the slow digestibility of starch in leguminous seeds have been studied by examining microscopically the cooked seeds after various treatments and by measuring starch digestion in vitro. Starch in leguminous seeds is entrapped in parenchyma cells and swells only partially during cooking. The alpha-amylase cannot easily penetrate within the gelatinized starch granules due to steric hindrance and the physical nature of the leguminous starch. Disruption of the cells, especially before cooking increases the susceptibility of starch to alpha-amylase digestion.
Various structurally defined glycopeptides of natural origin were tested as inhibitors of guinea pig erythrocyte agglutination by enteropathogenic Escherichia coli strains expressing type 1 pili. Besides hybrid-type glycoasparagines from ovalbumin which were not active, large oligomannoside-type carbohydrate chains from legume storage glycoproteins moderately inhibited hemagglutinations, whereas the short oligomannoside-type glycoasparagine from ovalbumin Mana(l-6)[Mana(l-13
The normal diet of six healthy volunteers was supplemented by 21 g of dietary fiber from two different soybean seed fiber preparations, either a nonpurified and never-dried soya pulp A (39% dietary fiber) or a purified soya fiber B (79%), for 3 wk each. Mean daily fecal wet weight was increased by 19 and 38% in the fiber periods A and B as compared to a 2-wk control period (p less than 0.05). Stool frequency and transit time remained unchanged. Fecal fiber increased by 52% only during period B. Fecal calcium, magnesium, and iron were increased (p less than 0.05), mainly after higher intakes during both fiber periods. Excretion of neutral steroids remained unchanged, but their concentration was lowered (p less than 0.05). A 21% increase of fecal bile acids by fiber A was specifically due to deoxycholic acid (+32%, p less than 0.01). Oral glucose tolerance was slightly improved after period B. Neither fiber changed serum triglycerides, but fiber B increased low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol by 19% (p less than 0.01) and low-density lipoprotein-phospholipids by 16% (p less than 0.05). The ratio high-density/low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, however, did not change significantly. Thus, dietary fibers from soybean do not seem to contribute to the hypocholesterolemic effect of soya. The results of this study also demonstrate that two apparently similar dietary fibers, coming from a single source, can exert distinctly different metabolic effects.
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