Effect Of Germination On Nitrogen, Lipids, Total Sugar And Tannins Content Of Lima Bean Varieties (Phaseolus Lunatus L)

The effect of germination on nitrogen, lipids, total sugar and tannins content of lima bean seeds (Phaseolus Lunatus L) were investigated. Five cultivars of lima beans were bought from Department of Crop Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The grains were picked cleaned, soaked in water in a ratio of 1:3 w/v for 12h and germinated for 12, 24, 48, 72, 96 and 120h. The germinated seeds were dehulled, dried and hammer milled into flour, the flours were analyzed for various chemical composition using standard techniques. Germination exerted varied effects on the chemical composition of lima bean. It caused increases in free amino acid nitrogen (FAAN) relative to the control. There were equally appreciable increases in total protein nitrogen (TPN) among the cultivars. It decreased total sugar t 48 and 120h. However, there were increases in total sugar at the 72 and 96h germination. There was an increase in fat at 48h and decreases at the other germination periods. Germination beyond 96h had no advantage over the other periods of germination to improve chemical composition of lima bean. Keywords:Germination, lima bean, nutrient composition. Journal of Biomedical Investigation Vol. 4 (2) 2006 pp. 60-6