Fermentation enhances the content of bioactive compounds in kidney bean extracts.

The influence of solid (SSF) or liquid state fermentation (LSF) for 48 and 96 h on the production of water soluble extracts from kidney beans was investigated. SSF was carried out by Bacillus subtilis, whilst LSF was performed either by natural fermentation (NF) or by Lactobacillus plantarum strain (LPF). SSF extracts showed high soluble phenolic compound content (31-36 mg/g) and antioxidant activity (508-541 μg trolox equivalents/g), whilst LSF extracts exhibited potential antihypertensive activity due to their large γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content (6.8-10.6 mg/g) and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitory (ACEI) activity (>90%). Therefore, fermentation can be considered as a valuable process to obtain bioactive ingredients from kidney beans, which could encourage their utilisation in the formulation of added-value functional foods.