Carbohydrate profile and starch digestibility of newly released high yielding moth bean (Phaselous aconitifolius Jacq.) varieties as affected by microwave heating and pressure cooking.

Seeds of 3 newly released moth bean (Phaselous aconitifolius Jacq.) varieties ('Jwala', 'RMO 225' and 'RMO 257') and 1 local variety of moth bean were pressure cooked and microwave oven cooked to find out the comparative effect of heating on total soluble solids (TSS), reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars and starch and starch digestibility. The TSS of raw unprocessed moth bean cultivars ranged from 6.8 to 7.7%, reducing sugars from 0.30 to 0.34.%, non-reducing sugars from 6.5 to 7.3% and starch from 47.5 to 51.3%. Both methods of cooking of unsoaked, soaked and soaked-dehulled moth bean cultivars increased the TSS (4 to 17% and 6 to 19%), reducing sugars (5 to 32% and 6 to 36%) and non-reducing sugars (4 to 16% and 6 to 18%), while decreasing the starch content (26 to 49%). Starch digestibility of unsoaked, soaked and soaked-dehulled seeds was higher (p < 0.05) when microwave heated (88 to 129%) than pressure cooked (74-115%).