Grain quality of common beans

Genetic variation and characterization of Bambara groundnut [Vigna subterranea (L.) verdc.] accessions under multi-environments considering yield and yield components performance

Bambara groundnut has significant role to play in terms of food security, even though researchers in agriculture have paid very little attention to the crop in the past. This study aimed to investigate the high-yielding accessions in three environments. A total of 34 phenological, vegetative and yield traits were measured and analyzed statistically with R software. There were significant differences in all the traits except for plant height, initial plant stand, panicle length per stem, and petiole length. Across the three environments, TVSU-455 gave the highest values for the total number of pods (42.67), final plant stands (7.67), fresh seed weights (45.83), number of seeds per plant (46.62), hundred seed weight with a value (124.56), dry seed weight (27.14), fresh pod weight (92.65), harvest index of 0.57, yield per plot (45.83) and unshelled yield per plot (550.26). TVSU-455 was the only accession in cluster I of the dendrogram based on its superiority over other accessions. The clustering analysis produced a dendrogram categorizing the 15 accessions into 4 groups based on the vegetative, phenological, and yield traits. There were significant differences among the correlations of the 34 traits. The first two principle components explained 56.16% of the total variation with each dimension accounting for 39.85% and 16. 31% variation, respectively. TVSU-455 can be recommended for stability analysis.

Critical stages for post-harvest losses and nutrition outcomes in the value chains of bush beans and nightshade in Uganda

The reduction of post-harvest losses (PHLs) has been identified as a key pathway to food and nutrition security in sub-Saharan Africa. However, despite policy prioritisation, knowledge about the severity of PHLs remains scant, especially when it comes to nutrient-dense crops such as African nightshade and bush beans. Therefore, this paper identifies loss hotspots, causes and effects throughout the value chains of nightshade and bush beans in eastern Uganda. Primary data collected following the Informal Food Loss Assessment Method, combined with small-scale load tracking and secondary data, allows for an analysis of physical, economic, quality, and nutritional losses throughout the value chains of both crops. Results show that in the bush bean value chain, severe physical and quality losses occur during post-harvest handling by farmers, leading to high economic losses at this stage of the chain. Nutritional losses are not expected to be significant in the bush bean value chain. By contrast, due to the shortness of the nightshade value chain, where produce is moved from harvest to consumption within one or two days, physical losses in most parts of the chain are relatively minor. Only at consumption stage, high physical losses occur. This is also the stage where economic losses and potential nutritional losses are most pronounced. The results of this study offer a deeper understanding of the value chain dynamics of bush beans and nightshade, including underlying gender relations, and identify concrete loss hotspots, upon which further research and practical interventions can build.

Thermal treatment of common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.): Factors determining cooking time and its consequences for sensory and nutritional quality

Over the past years, the shift toward plant-based foods has largely increased the global awareness of the nutritional importance of legumes (common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in particular) and their potential role in sustainable food systems. Nevertheless, the many benefits of bean consumption may not be realized in large parts of the world, since long cooking time (lack of convenience) limits their utilization. This review focuses on the current insights in the cooking behavior (cookability) of common beans and the variables that have a direct and/or indirect impact on cooking time. The review includes the various methods to evaluate textural changes and the effect of cooking on sensory attributes and nutritional quality of beans. In this review, it is revealed that the factors involved in cooking time of beans are diverse and complex and thus necessitate a careful consideration of the choice of (pre)processing conditions to conveniently achieve palatability while ensuring maximum nutrient retention in beans. In order to harness the full potential of beans, there is a need for a multisectoral collaboration between breeders, processors, and nutritionists.

Influence of cooking methods on antinutritional factors, oligosaccharides and protein quality of underutilized legume Macrotyloma uniflorum

Macrotyloma uniflorum is a salubrious but underutilized legume mainly consumed in semi-arid zones of Africa, Australia and India. Various antinutritional factors- phytates, oxalates and oligosaccharides- has limited its consumption. Current work describes the influence of various thermal processing technologies - autoclaving, microwave, micronization and extrusion- on antinutritional profile, phenolic acid profile and protein digestibility of two selected varieties. Significant (p ≤ 0.05) reduction in antinutritional content was observed for horse gram grains processed using various thermal technologies. Among all processing technologies extrusion caused marked degradation in antinutritional components. The reduction in oxalic acid, trypsin inhibitor, phytates and tannins ranged from 33 to 87 %, 77-82%, 33-60% and 51-66% respectively. Further, the decline in content of various oligosaccharides viz. raffinose, stachyose and verbascose varied from 36 to 61 %, 25-49% and 30-74% respectively for both the varieties. Although extrusion caused significant (p ≤ 0.05) decrease in the essential amino acid index and protein efficiency ratio, simultaneous increased was observed in biological value. The processing had significant (p ≤ 0.05) impact on grain antinutritional content and also retained its substantial functional properties. This establishes the utility of grain and promote the introduction of these new grains and enlarge the market of novel healthy foods.

Classification, Force Deformation Characteristics and Cooking Kinetics of Common Beans

Post-harvest characteristics of common beans influences its classification, which significantly affects processing time and energy requirements. In this work, ten bean cultivars were classified as either easy-to-cook (ETC) or hard-to-cook (HTC) based on a traditional subjective finger pressing test and a scientific objective hardness test. The hardness study used seed coat rigidity to explain the structural deformation observed during cooking. The result shows that the average hardness of raw dry ETC and HTC beans was 102.4 and 170.8 N, respectively. The maximum seed coat resistance is observed within the first 30 min of cooking regardless of the classification. The results show that a modified three-parameter non-linear regression model could accurately predict the rate of bean softening (R2 = 0.994–0.999 and RMSE = 3.3–14.7%). The influence of bean softeners such as potassium carbonate (K2CO3) and sodium chloride (NaCl) to reduce cooking time was also investigated. The results showed that the addition of K2CO3 to the cooking water significantly reduced the cooking time by up to 50% for ETC and 57% for HTC.

Study of Edible Plants: Effects of Boiling on Nutritional, Antioxidant, and Physicochemical Properties

The consumption of vegetables in Mexico includes a wide variety of plants that grow naturally as weeds in the fields. The intake of these vegetables is very important in the Mexican diet because these plants supply an important input of nutrients and compounds such as fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Thus, the plants may be universally promoted as healthy. However, there is little information about these vegetables of popular consumption, especially in terms of the nutritional changes caused by boiling. To determine the influence of boiling on five plants of popular consumption in Mexico, the nutritional composition (proximal analysis, dietary fiber, and oxalates), antioxidant compounds (ascorbic acid, phenolics), antioxidant activity (measured by ABTS and DPPH assays), and physicochemical characteristics (water retention capacity, viscosity, color, and SEM) were evaluated. The boiling affected the nutritional composition of plants, mainly soluble compounds as carbohydrates (sugars and soluble fiber), ash, ascorbic acid, and phenolic compounds and caused changes in food hydration and color. Therefore, it is recommended that these plants be consumed raw or with short boiling times and included the cooking water in other preparations to take advantage of the nutrients released in the food matrix. In the future, to complete studies, 3 to 5 min of cooking should be considered to minimize undesirable modifications in terms of the vegetables' composition.

Protein digestion of different protein sources using the INFOGEST static digestion model

In vitro digestion systems are valuable tools for understanding and monitoring the complex behavior of food degradation during digestion, thus proving to be good candidates for replacing in vivo assays. The aim of the present work was to study protein hydrolysis in a selection of different protein sources using the harmonized INFOGEST static protocol: three isolated proteins (collagen, zein, and whey protein) and five foods (sorghum flour, wheat bran cereals, peanuts, black beans, and pigeon peas). The proteins of all the substrates were analyzed by SDS-PAGE and HPLC-MS/MS. Individual amino acid composition was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). EAA/NEAA (essential amino acids/ nonessential amino acids) ratios in the substrates from low to high were as follows: wheat bran cereals, peanuts, collagen, zein, whey protein, sorghum, pigeon peas, and black beans. The results revealed sorghum, whey protein, and zein as good sources of BCAA. In all substrates, no intact protein from the substrates was visually detected by SDS-PAGE after the intestinal phase of in vitro digestion with the INFOGEST protocol. However, digestion-resistant peptides were detected in all substrates after the intestinal digestion phase. Protein hydrolysis was high in whey protein isolate and pigeon pea and low for wheat bran cereals and bovine collagen.

Effects of the extraction method and chromatographic separation solvent in the antioxidant activity of different species of "espinheira-santa"

Bioactivity of "espinheira-santa" leaves can be evaluated through solvent purification processes. Species of the same genus may contain different compounds, which may be separated by conventional chromatography using different solvents. The extraction process also influences the contents of these compounds. In order to optimize the above process research is required on variables such as solvents, temperature and extraction time. The objective of this work was to evaluate the antioxidant activity (ABTS, DPPH and FRAP) of extracts and purified fractions from leaves of Maytenus ilicifolia and M. aquafolium. Percolation at 28 °C for 7 days, and ultrasound at 50, 60 and 70 °C for 15 min were the extraction methods tested. Open column chromatography (silica gel) was used in the fractionation of extracts, and hexane, chloroform and methanol were the elution solvents used. The evaluation methods of the antioxidant activity were DPPH, FRAP and ABTS. Plant species showed no significant differences between methods for DPPH, but the fractions obtained with chromatography had significant differences, the crude ethanolic extract (CEE) and the methanolic been in general superior. "espinheira-santa" is a plant with antioxidant potential, but the extraction methods are not optimal. Still, it can be said that the separation by chromatography provided a better visualization of the nature of the components of that plant that best stood out in relation to the antioxidant activity.

Influence of the preparation process on the chemical composition and nutritional value of canned purée of kabuli and Apulian black chickpeas

Chickpeas are classified into two main commercial seed types: desi, and kabuli. Furthermore, the Apulian black is another chickpea type, less common, which has peculiar phenotypic and genetic features and is the object of an increasing attention by geneticists to avoid the risk of genetic erosion. A strategy to increase the consumption of pulses consists in proposing ready-to-eat gastronomic preparations which, however, must keep their natural features and nutritional value as intact as possible. In this paper the influence of the preparation process on the chemical composition and nutritional value of ready-to-eat canned purée of Apulian black chickpeas has been evaluated, in comparison with purée of kabuli chickpeas. Total dietary fiber content was high enough to consider the kabuli chickpea purée as "source of fiber", and the black chickpea purée as "high fiber", in accordance with the current European Regulation on nutrition claims. Along the preparation process, an increase in lipid content was observed. Protein content, instead, showed a different behaviour, i.e. increased in Apulian black chickpea purée and remained constant in kabuli chickpea purée.

The preparation process strongly influenced fatty acid composition. In particular, unsaturated fatty acids decreased in both Apulian black and kabuli chickpea purées, whereas saturated fatty acids significantly increased during processing.

Apulian black chickpeas are particularly rich of bioactive compounds, but the preparation process of purée caused a strong decrease of total carotenoids, anthocyanins and phenolic compounds. However, even after processing, this purée could still be a good source of bioactive compounds.

All these features make canned purée of chickpeas a healthy ready-to-eat food, which is at the same time rich in fiber and bioactive compounds, able to fulfill the time-saving needs of modern lifestyle. These findings could promote a greater use of Apulian black chickpeas and contribute to reduce the risk of genetic erosion.

Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) flour: A functional ingredient to favour the use of an unexploited sustainable protein source

Variability in dehulling efficiency, colour, chemical composition and selected functional properties of raw and pre-treated bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) (BG) flour from red and black-eye varieties were studied. Functional properties were water and oil absorption, gelation, pasting, emulsification and foaming capacity. Pre-treatment of seeds (i.e. soaking, roasting and combined soaking and roasting) improved dehulling efficiency of BG varieties. Protein content of flour ranged from 15.6-19.6%, starch from 47.8-52.0% and sucrose from 1.9-5%. An improvement was observed for protein and ash content of pre-treated flour compared to raw flour. Heat treatments increased onset gelatinization temperature of flour. Black-eye BG flours that had higher starch content, also had better gelation capacity than red BG flours. All pre-treatment methods decreased flour emulsification capacity and stability. Dry-roasting caused a greater decline than other methods, whereas soaking had little effect on emulsion stability. Further, soaking increased foaming capacity, whilst a decline was observed in roasted flour. All pre-treatment methods increased oil absorption capacity of both BG flour varieties. Overall, soaked and combined soaked and roasted flour is recommended for BG flour to be incorporated in food products.

Utilization of bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) for sustainable food and nutrition security in semi-arid regions of Zimbabwe

Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) is an indigenous legume crop, cultivated by subsistence farmers throughout sub-Saharan countries. Research findings indicate that the crop has great nutritional and agronomic potential, but it remains scientifically neglected. A baseline study was conducted in seven districts in semi-arid regions of rural Zimbabwe to gather knowledge on current production and utilization of bambara groundnut, assess its role in providing sustainable food and nutrition security for rural populations and determine priorities for follow-up research. Results revealed a variety of bambara groundnut processing techniques, which included boiling, soaking, roasting and milling across the surveyed districts. Reported constraints to processing and consumption included long cooking time, difficulties with milling and high firewood and water requirements. Fifty to eighty percent of respondents in all districts consumed bambara groundnut once or twice weekly from August to December. Preferred consumer attributes were taste, the satiating effect, nutritional benefits or a combination of these. Current, culturally acceptable processing techniques need improvement to support sustainable bambara groundnut processing while optimising nutrient bio-accessibility. Ultimately, community resilience to food and nutrition insecurity can be promoted by exchange of bambara groundnut processing knowledge amongst the production areas, involving the different stakeholders in the food supply chains.

Studies on physico-chemical and cooking characteristics of rice bean varieties grown in NE region of India

Rice bean (Vigna umbellata) is grown in South and Southeast Asia, and the bean has gained importance due to its nutritional strength in terms of dietary fiber, quality protein and minerals. In current study, the nutritional and functional components, cooking and thermo-gravimetric properties of eleven rice bean varieties from NE India were investigated. Results revealed that the major nutrients among the varieties ranged as follows: 54.21-60.49% carbohydrates, 15.64-21.60% protein, 1.22-2.3% fat, 5.53-6.56% crude fibre, 3.34-3.8% ash; while the functional, anti-nutritional factors and mineral were present as 1189.32-1645.8 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g polyphenols, 205.38-432.14 mg/100 g phytic acid, 23.14-34.12 mg/100 g oxalate, 690.7-1589.5 mg/100 g saponins, 49.90-158.17 μg/100 g hydrocyanide, 111.51-168 calcium, 5.50-10.44 zinc, 3.72-8.37 iron. Principal component analysis revealed that varieties with higher calcium, iron and ash content had lower cooking time, swelling ratio, and cooked grain hardness. It is also revealed that varieties with higher weight loss at sixth stage in thermogravimetric graph had lower carbohydrate and higher protein content. Nagadal variety had higher fat, potassium, magnesium, calcium, sodium, iron, copper and chromium content and better cooking quality as compared to the other varieties. The study revealed that Nagadal variety was superior to other varieties with respect to mineral content, cooking and thermal properties and hence have better potential in the development of value added products.

Hydration properties and texture fingerprints of easy- and hard-to-cook bean varieties

The objective of this study was to understand the factors that affect the hydration and cooking profiles of different bean varieties. During this study, nine bean varieties were classified as either easy-to-cook (ETC) or hard-to-cook (HTC) based on a subjective finger pressing test and an objective cutting test. Rose coco, Red haricot, and Zebra beans were classified as ETC, while Canadian wonder, Soya fupi, Pinto, non-nodulating, Mwezi moja, Gwaku, and New mwezi moja were HTC. The effect of different soaking (pre)-treatments on the cooking behavior and/or water absorption of whole or dehulled beans was investigated. Dehulling, soaking in high pH and monovalent salt solutions reduced the cooking time of beans, while soaking in low pH and CaCl₂ solutions increased the cooking time. Moisture uptake was faster in ETC and dehulled beans. Soaking at high temperatures also increased the hydration rate. The results point to pectin-related aspects and the rate of water uptake as possible factors that influence the cooking rate of beans.

Nutritional and health perspectives of beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.): an overview

Beans, the variants of Phaseolus vulagris, are nutritionally and economically important food crop in each part of the world. Besides providing nutrients such as multifaceted carbohydrates, elevated proteins, dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins, these also contain rich variety of polyphenolic compounds with prospective health benefits. This review mainly focuses the important nutritional aspects of beans as well as their contribution in decreasing the risks of chronically degenerative diseases.

Extraction and characterization of pectic polysaccharides from easy- and hard-to-cook common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)

The occurrence of the hard-to-cook (HTC) defect in legumes is characterized by the inability of cotyledons to soften during the cooking process. This phenomenon may be influenced by pectin properties. The objective of this study was to characterize the pectic polysaccharides comprised in the alcohol insoluble residue (AIR) extracted from easy-to-cook (Rose coco) and hard-to-cook (Pinto) common beans. This would provide an insight in the relationship between the pectin properties and HTC defect. The AIR was extracted from raw, half-cooked hard, half-cooked soft and fully-cooked bean samples. Subsequently, it was fractionated into water-, chelator- and Na₂CO₃-soluble pectin fractions and a hemicellulose fraction. For the AIR and the pectin fractions, determination of the galacturonic acid content, neutral sugars, degree of methylesterfication (DM), degree of acetylation (DAc) and molar mass (MM) distribution was performed. Results on the pectin fractions, MM distribution and pectin content profile, revealed that Rose coco pectin generally showed higher pectin solubility than Pinto. Neutral sugar profiles indicated that Pinto contained higher amounts of branched pectin (i.e. arabinans) than Rose coco. There was no difference between the DM of Pinto and Rose coco, however, the DAc was higher in Rose coco. In conclusion, the differences in pectin structure and solubility properties between easy- and hard-to-cook common beans might contribute to the differences in their cooking behavior.

Effects of the Domestic Cooking on Elemental Chemical Composition of Beans Species (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Cooking is imperative for beans owing to the presence of compounds that can negatively affect nutritional value. Additionally, the heating of beans can increase protein digestibility and induce desirable sensory properties. However, cooking also causes considerable changes in the composition of numerous chemical constituents, including amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. For this, effects of domestic cooking on the essential element concentrations in various beans species (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were investigated using jalo, fradinho, rajado, rosinha, bolinha, black, and common species. Elemental determination was made with flame atomic absorption spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry after sample digestion in a closed-vessel microwave oven using a diluted oxidant mixture. Analytical methods were evaluated with an addition and recovery test and analysis of certified reference materials (apple and citrus leaves). Ca, Cu, K, and Mg were present mainly in rajado, Cu in jalo, Fe in black, S and Zn in fradinho, and P in rosinha species. Thermal treatment did not affect Cu, Fe, S, and Zn concentrations, but it increased Ca, K, Mg, P, and Zn concentrations in jalo and black species. Ca concentration decreased in fradinho and rajado species, as did Fe concentration in jalo and rajado species.

Effects of gamma irradiation and/or cooking on nutritional quality of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) cultivars seeds

The effect of gamma irradiation (0.5 and 1.0 kGy) and/or cooking on the proximate composition, mineral content, tannin content, phytic acid content and the in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD) of two Sudanese faba bean cultivars (BB7-S1 and SH-S2) was investigated in the present study. The results obtained revealed that gamma irradiation and/or cooking treatments have slight effect in chemical composition and mineral content, while they caused significant (P ≤ 0.05) reduction on tannin content for both cultivars. Cooking of faba bean seeds also insignificantly (P ≤ 0.05) reduced phytic acid content for both cultivars, while irradiation process and/or cooking had fluctuated effect. For both cultivars, irradiation of seeds and/or cooking increased the in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD), with maximum value of IVPD (79.97%) obtained for cultivar BB7-S1. The results indicate that the treatments used in this study might improve the nutritive quality of faba bean seed due to reduction in antinutritional factors with a concomitant increase in IVPD.

Influence of dehydration process in Castellano chickpea: changes in bioactive carbohydrates and functional properties

Changes in bioactive carbohydrates, functional, and microstructural characteristics that occurred in chickpea under soaking, cooking, and industrial dehydration processing were evaluated. Raw chickpea exhibited important levels of raffinose family of oligosaccharides (RFOs), resistant starch (RS) and total dietary fibre (TDF), being insoluble dietary fibre (IDF) the main fraction (94%). The dehydration process increased RFOs (43%), RS (47%) and soluble dietary fiber (SDF) (59%) levels significantly. In addition, a noticeable increase in both fibre fractions was observed, being higher in soluble fibre in (SDF) (59%). The minimum nitrogen solubility of raw flours was at pH 4, and a high degree of protein insolubilization (80%) was observed in dehydrated flours. The raw and processed flours exhibited low oil-holding capacities (1.10 mg/ml), and did not show any change by thermal processing, whereas water-holding capacities rose to 5.50 mg/ml of sample. Cooking and industrial dehydration process reduced emulsifying activity and foaming capacity of chickpea flour. The microstructural observations were consistent with the chemical results. Thus, the significant occurrence of these bioactive carbohydrate compounds along with the interesting functional properties of the dehydrated flours could be considered useful as functional ingredients for food formulation.

INCAP Studies of Vegetable Proteins for Human Consumption

This article describes the efforts of the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP) to develop a relatively low-cost vegetable protein mixture suitable as a complementary food for infants and young children. As it turned out, the resulting product became popular with older children and adults, and its superior nutritional benefits were widely recognized by the population. This effort led to broader studies by INCAP of the nutritional quality of vegetable protein mixtures, including raw materials, processing to convert them into human-grade products, product formulation, and commercialization.

Improvement of the nutritional quality of a traditional complementary porridge made of fermented yellow maize (Zea mays): effect of maize-legume combinations and traditional processing methods

BACKGROUND

Blends with a cereal-legume ratio of 70:30 have been introduced in many communities for use in the preparation of complementary foods with augmented protein quality. These foods should meet World Health Organization estimated energy and nutrient needs from complementary foods.

OBJECTIVE

To increase energy and nutrient densities and nutrient availability in a traditional complementary porridge.

METHODS

Yellow maize was processed by lactic acid fermentation. Peanuts (Arachis hypogea) and beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) were processed by germination, roasting, dehulling, and a combination of germination and roasting. Blends were prepared from processed peanuts and beans and cooked into porridges with viscosities less than 3,000 cp. Traditional porridge was the control and consisted of fermented yellow maize only. The porridges were analyzed for their physicochemical and nutritional properties.

RESULTS

Blends increased energy and nutrient densities in porridges compared with the control (p < .05). The maize-peanuts combination yielded porridges with higher energy densities and improved nutritional quality compared with the maize-beans combinations. In vitro availability of iron did not change (p > .05) with formulation of the blends except for porridges made from maize and germinated peanuts, but there was a significant increase in zinc in vitro availability, whereas a decrease was observed for calcium in vitro availability. The energy densities of maize-peanuts porridges were sufficient to cover energy required from complementary foods for infants aged 6 to 11 months receiving four meals of complementary foods per day and an average amount of energy from breastmilk.

CONCLUSIONS

Maize-legume blends can efficiently improve the nutritional quality of traditional porridge. Peanuts are the best legume complements.

Performance and Histological Responses of Internal Organs of Broiler Chickens Fed Raw, Dehulled, and Aqueous and Dry-Heated Kidney Bean Meals

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of raw and differently processed [aqueous heating, dehulled, and dry heating (toasted)] kidney bean meals on the performance, weights, and histology of internal organs of broiler chicken. The feeding trial lasted for 56 d. Two hundred twenty-five 1-d-old broiler chicks (Anak strain) were used for the study. There were 5 treatment groups of 3 replicates with 15 birds per replicate. Raw and processed kidney bean meals were used to replace 50% protein supplied by soybean in the control diet. Data collected were used to evaluate feed intake, weight gain, and efficiency of feed utilization. The weights of liver, pancreas, kidney, heart, and lungs were also recorded and tissue samples of each collected for histological examination. Average daily food intake, average daily gain, and efficiency of feed utilization were influenced by the dietary treatments. Average daily food intake and average daily gain in birds fed the control diet and heat-treated kidney bean meals were similar and significantly (P<0.05) higher than those fed raw or dehulled meals. Feed conversion ratio was significantly (P<0.05) higher in birds fed raw or dehulled meals compared with those fed the control diet. The relative weight of the pancreas was significantly (P<0.05) increased as a result of acinar hypertrophy. The kidney had severe congestion of glomeruli and distention of the capillary vessels with numerous thrombi in birds fed raw and dehulled kidney bean meals. The weight of the liver was significantly (P<0.05) reduced in birds fed raw and dehulled meals, and the liver was characterized by marked coagulative necrosis and degeneration of the hepatocytes. The structural alterations were attributed to intake of trypsin inhibitors and haemagglutinins in the processed seeds. In conclusion, aqueous heated kidney bean meal can be used to replace 50% protein supplied by soybean meal in broiler starter and finisher diets without any adverse effect on the performance and the internal organs.