Biotechnological Effect of Fermented Mung Beans (<i>Vigna Radiata</i>) Flour and Its Protein Quality in Wistar Rats

Abstract

Fermentation with inclusion of organisms has been shown to improve the nutritional quality of food. This work was designed to investigate the effect of fermented mung beans (Vigina radiata) flour and protein quality in Wistar rats. The seed of V. radiata was sorted, washed, sun-dried, and later aseptically pulverized. The flour was then divided into seven portions of 500 g each and put in sterile containers. The six portions of flour were subjected to natural and induced fermentation for 4 days, using naturally occurring bacteria singly as a starter culture at 28 ±2^oC, while the unfermented portion served as a control. The product of fermentation was used to determine the nutritional quality of the unfermented and fermented mung beans flour by studying the growth weight of visceral organs and body weight of rats and nitrogen retention of animals in various tissues of the internal organs, faeces and urine and protein quality of experimental animals fed. The growth weight of visceral organs and body weight of rats in the kidney (g) ranged from 17.52 ±0.62 to 23.07 ±0.78, liver (g) from 85.77 ±0.30 to 117.52 ±0.50 while muscle (g) ranged from 68.99 ±0.10 to 134.56 ±0.47. Nitrogen retention of animals fed with unfermented and fermented mung beans flour in kidney (g) 13.45 ±0.02 to 50.34 ±0.01, liver (g) 12.44 ±0.01 to 50.38 ±0.02, muscle (g) 12.89 ±0.01 to 50.55 ±0.01, faeces (g) 0.36 ±0.01 to 0.89 ±0.01 while urine 0.35 ±0.01 to 0.84 ±0.02. The protein quality of experimental animals fed in Biological Value (BV) ranged from 0.00 to 70.67 ±1.15, Net Protein Utilization (NPU) 0.00 to 76.33 ±1.53, Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER) 0.00 to 2.27 ±0.15, Net Protein Ratio (NPR) 0.00 to 3.47 ±0.11 while gained/loss ranged from -10.59 ±0.01 to 30.88 ±5.76. The fermentation increase quality of nutrient present in mung beans and fermented mung beans flour may promote the weight of internal organs of Wistar rats.