@masterthesis{Ranganathan, type = {Bachelor Thesis}, author = {Ranganathan, Shraddha}, title = {Evaluation of two methods to reduce legume-related flatulence through enzymatic digestion of flatulence factors}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:1383-opus4-4903}, school = {Hochschule Rhein-Waal}, pages = {65}, abstract = {Legumes are nutritionally equivalent to many meat products, and can be used to supplement or replace meat in daily diets. This is beneficial for a variety of reasons, such as: i) growing legumes can help to reduce acidification of soil, global warming potential and energy use; ii) livestock is taxing on the environment in terms of adding to the volume of greenhouse gases and nitrification of soil while legume crops fix soil nitrogen. Consumers can be opposed to adding legumes to their diet due to the perception of legumes causing flatulence. Intestinal gas buildup, bloating, cramps, abdominal pain and flatulence are caused by raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs) which cannot be digested in monogastric organisms such as humans. They are therefore broken down by microflora in the intestine; this bacterial digestion releases large volumes of hydrogen, which causes flatulence. The human body lacks the enzyme required to break down these RFOs — ⍺-galactosidase. This experiment evaluated two methods of applying ⍺-galactosidase to RFOs before they reach the intestinal microflora. The first method evaluates the effectiveness of enzymatically digesting the legumes before consumption. The second evaluates the effectiveness of the enzyme supplement Beano, which applies the enzyme to RFOs in the stomach. Experimental data showed that enzymatically digesting raw flours does significantly reduce the amount of RFOs in the legume. Similarly, Beano also reduces RFOs significantly. In 4 out of the 6 legumes sampled, there was no significant difference between the two methods. In order to consider the methods for commercial use, other factors (such as economic, logistical, etc.) must also be considered. At the outset, it appears that taking an enzyme supplement such as Beano might be more economically viable in the long term for the consumer, since processing costs for the flatulence free legumes would drive up the price of (normally cheap) legumes. There is an increase in the amount of people who are giving up meat for environmental and other reasons. For these consumers, as well as those who come from cultures that integrate legumes in their cuisine, the removal of flatulence factors from this nutrition-rich food group will be very beneficial.}, language = {en} }