Effects of Heat Treatments on Chemical Composition of Groundbean (Kerstingiella geocarpa harm)

Abstract: This study evaluates the effects of heat treatments on chemical composition of Groundbean (GB). Groundbean seeds were cleaned, soaked, dehulled and cooked for varying periods. The samples were separately dried and milled into fine flours. The flour samples were analyzed for proximate, minerals and antinutrients composition using standard methods. Results showed that proximate composition of all samples varied. The Untreated Groundbean (UTGB) had the highest proximate composition which was significantly different from all nutrients tested (p<0.05) except for fibre (3.65%) in Undehulled Cooked Groundbean (UDCGB) and Carbohydrate (CHO) content (63.63%) in Soaked Dehulled Cooked Groundbean (SODCGB). SOGB had the highest iron (Fe) (6.80 mg), calcium (Ca) (52.53 mg), sodium (Na) (1.48 mg), manganese (Mn) (20.78 mg) and zinc (Zn) (2.34 mg) content which were significantly different from others (p<0.05). UTGB had the highest Copper (Cu) (3.89 mg), magnesium (Mg) (1.46 mg), Phosphorus (Ph) (345.45 mg), Potassiun (K) (263.80 mg) and Iodine (I) (102.18 mcg/g) which was significantly different from2 others (p<0.05). The antinutrient composition of all samples was low except for Trypsin Inhibitor (TI) where UTGB had the highest TI (29.45 mg) which was significantly different from the rest. The result indicates that groundbean is safe for human consumption and could be used in the formulation of diets for children and adults. Key words: Groundbean, fat, fibre content, heat treatment