Nutritional improvement of an Egyptian breed of mung bean by probiotic lactobacilli

Germination and/or fermentation processes for Egyptian breeds of mung seeds were carried out with three Lactobacillus strains namely, L. reuteri, L. case, and L. heleviticus. Results revealed increase in protein content, nitrogen solubility and in vitro digestibility for all treated mung meals. Treated mung proteins contained most of the essential amino acids in concentrations comparable to those recommended by the FAO/WHO, with the exception of the sulphur-containing amino acids. Trypsin inhibitor units (TIU) and phytate content of untreated MB were 6.98 TIU/mg dry sample and 5.61 mg phytate/g dry sample, respectively. Fermentation treatments were effective in decreasing the phytate content as well as reducing trypsin inhibitor activity, while L. casei was the most efficient probiotic culture in reducing those antinutritional factors. The combined treatment of germination and lactic fermentation utilizing Lactobacillus species is recommended process for enhancing the nutritional quality of legume protein.