Physicochemical characteristics of Bambara groundnut dietary fibres extracted using wet milling

The objectives of this study were to extract soluble and insoluble dietary fibres from four Bambara groundnut (BGN) varieties (black-eye, brown-eye, brown and red) using the wet milling method and evaluate their physicochemical properties. The swelling capacities of brown-eye (6.5 g/mL) and black-eye (6.2 g/mL) fibres were higher (p≤0.05) than those of red (6.0 g/mL) and brown (5.5 g/mL) fibres while the water holding capacities of black-eye and brown-eye fibres (2.84 g and 2.83 g water/g sample) were higher (p≤0.05) than those of brown and red fibres. The bulk densities of insoluble dietary fibres (IDFs) and soluble dietary fibres (SDFs) ranged between 0.57 g/mL (red) to 0.67 g/mL (brown-eye) and 0.46 g/mL (brown-eye) to 0.57 g/mL (black-eye), respectively. The oil binding capacities (OBCs) of SDFs ranged between 2.78 g oil/g sample (brown) and 4.03 g oil/g sample (brown-eye) while the OBC of all IDFs did not differ (p>0.05), ranging between 1.52 g oil/g sample (brown) and 1.40 g oil/g sample (brown-eye and black-eye). Black-eye and brown-eye dietary fibres had higher phenolic and total sugar content. The findings of this study indicate the potential of BGN fibres in food systems as fat replacers, emulsion stabilisers, water binders, bulking agents, thickeners and nutritional additives.The authors acknowledge the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) University Research Funding and the National Research Foundation for financial assistance towards the research running costs