Dietary starch varies greatly in digestibility and its effects on the utilization of other nutrients. The variation appears to be due to differences in starch components and their crystallinity. Processing treatments, storage conditions, chemical modification, and genetic breeding influence the digestibility of starch. Cereal starches are generally more digestible than root/tuber and legume starches. Although cooking often significantly improves the digestibility of poor and intermediately digestible starches, some foods such as bananas with starches of these types are consumed uncooked. The efficient digestion of starch is especially important to specific groups of people such as infants under 6 months of age. Ruminants must also be provided with highly digestible starch to assure maximum production efficiency. Poor digestibility of starch may have negative effects on the utilization of protein and minerals but is likely to have positive effects on the availability of certain vitamins. Decreases in the rate of starch digestion may have therapeutic application. Most clinical studies have reported that starch blockers do not elicit a significant decrease in the digestion of starch in humans. Much remains to be learned, clarified, and understood about starch digestion and its effects on diabetes and weight control.

The ability of seed germination to increase the nutritional quality of chickpea was studied. Chickpea flours germinated for 0, 24 and 48 h were evaluated nutritionally by determination of protein efficiency ratio (PER), net protein ratio (NPR), digestibility and essential amino acid availability "in vivo". A significant increase in ascorbic acid was observed during germination. PER and NPR values indicated that germinated chickpea flours compared favorably to casein. Protein digestibility decreased as germination time increased. Essential amino acid availability did not change after 24 h of germination, but a small decrease was observed after 48 h. The increase in some amino acids during germination may account for the observed increase in PER for the germinated flours. Seed germination enhanced significantly the nutritional quality of chickpea protein and substantially increased the ascorbic acid level.

Various parts of the perennial Buffalo gourd, Cucurbita foetidissima HBK, have been analyzed for crude protein, crude fat, acid detergent fiber, lignin, ash and gross energy content. The embryo, which contains about 48% oil, has a protein content exceeding 70% after oil has been extracted. The content of linoleic acid in the oil ranges from 45-65%. The roots contain more than 55% starch on a dry-weight basis. The vine forage and fruit pulp have potential as a roughage source for ruminants. This feral plant is well adapted to arid lands and merits further investigation as a possible source of oil, protein and starch.

Breads were prepared from wheat flour supplemented with 0,10,20 and 30% ungerminated or germinated chickpea flour to determine the influence of germination on the sensory acceptability of the baked products. Rheological characteristics of the flours were evaluated by the Brabender farinograph and viscoamylograph, using a wheat flour control. Farinograph development and stability times decreased, and amylograph peak viscosities increased for all fortified flours. Germinated flours showed greater retrogradation upon cooling. Most sensory characteristics of fortified breads did not differ significantly, but the chickpea loaf fortified with 10% germinated flour did not compare favourably with the control.

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