LAUSR

The physicochemical properties and in vitro digestibility of starches from different cultivars (genus) of legumes, namely, black eye bean, baby lima bean, lentil, chick pea, small red bean, and mung bean, were analyzed. All legume starches had oval and spherical granules, with an average diameter of 18.6–27.8 μm. Baby lima bean starch, with high amylose content, high molecular weight (Mw) of amylopection, and low short amylopection branch chains (DP 6–12), showed high gelatinization temperature, gelatinization enthalpy (△H), final viscosity, setback viscosity, and pasting temperature. By contrast, chick pea starch, with low amylose content and Mw of amylopection as well as high short amylopection branch chains, exhibited low gelatinization temperature, △H, peak viscosity, breakdown viscosity, and pasting temperature. Baby lima bean starch was highly resistant to enzyme digestion. The contents of slowly digestible and resistant starches of cooked small red bean were significantly higher than those of other cooked starches.