A Study on the Saga Bean (Adenanthera pavonia, L.) II. The Effect of Lipid Extraction on the Nutritional Value of Saga Bean Flour

Abstract

A study was conducted on full and non fat saga flour. To obtain non fat saga flour. the full fat saga flour was extracted twin by using hexane and a mixturC of hexane and ethanol (82:18, V/V). These two types of flour were steamed at 1 10°C for 60 minutes. The iipiiextraction process did not affect the trypin and chymotrypsin inhibitors activities, but steaming at 1 10°C for 60 minutes practically inactivated these antinutritional factors. However, this heat treatment did not affect the saponin content of the saga flour, but increased its hemolytic activity. There was no effect of lipid extraction on the saga flour consumption by the rats. The PER of full fat saga flour (at 15% of protein content in the diet) was found to be similar to the PER of casein (at 10% of protein content in the diet). These results showed no indication of the presence of any toxic factor in the lipid fraction of the saga bean. The presence of urobilinogen in the urine of rats fed saga flour (at IS and 20% of protein cotent in the diet) might be due to the action of saponin in the saga. An attempt was made to investigate the effect of saponin on the liver damage of the rats fed with saga flour. The insignificant effect, however, might be due to the short duration of saga flour feeding in this experiment. Further study is necessary.