NUTRITIONAL POTENTIAL AND FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES OF TEMPE PRODUCED FROM MIXTURES OF DIFFERENT LEGUMES 1: Chemical constituents of legume mixtures and their tempe

Abstract

Fermented foods such as Tempe represent technological alternative for a great variety of legumes or combination of them to improve their nutritional quality and to obtain edible products with palatable sensorial characteristics. The chemical composition, i.e., carbohydrate fractions, mineral content and nitrogenous compounds) were determined for different legumes, (faba bean, lupine, chickpea; peas and their mixtures before and after fermentation by Rhizopus oligosporus. Tempe had a higher (p < 0.05) protein and fiber content, compared with their legume mixtures, while it had a lower fat, ash and carbohydrate contents. Also, the levels of reducing sugars, starch and stachyose as well as raffinose were reduced after fermentation. Therefore, non protein nitrogen and protein nitrogen were significantly reduced, while the levels of total nitrogen and true protein were increased.