Pulses or legumes Peas and Beans

Fabaceae Second most important family for humans A combination of grain and pulses is seen in major civilization –Barley and lentils; rice and soybeans; corn and beans Fabaceae is diverse and has about 16,000 species Common features are the flowers and fruits (a legume)

Fabaceae Three subfamilies –Faboideae – main source of pulses (Dried seeds) –Caesalpinoidae – tamarind and carob Plants have root nodules – increases the nutrients of the soil –More protein in the fruits –Non-protein amino acids (some toxic) –Good rotation crop

Nutrients Protein: CHO: fat: fiber are 20:70:8:4 percent. Protein: lack Met and cysteine and some sulfur containing amino acids CHO: raffinose and stachyose series. Hard to digest, flactulence. Alpha – galactosidase from Aspergillas. Fat has unsaturated fatty acids; hihgest in peanuts

Nutrients Non-protein amino acids Some have anti-nutritional factor Protease inhibitor Isoflavone Dissolve fiber

Lentils Lens culinaris –Shape of eye lens. 25% proteins, 60% CHO, less than 1% fat vit A &B abd calcium Middle East between years ago Domesticated Has most digestible and most commonly eaten pulse

Peas Pisum sativum Near East and Europe, 8000 – 9500 years old but not sure whether grow or gathered. Brought ot New world by Columbus Eaten fresh Chinese snow peas has low fiber and selected 17 th century Sugar snap peas – recent 1979

Broad beans Vicia faba: mainly hog feed Middle East origin Favism: hemolytic anemia; due to defective gene; glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase; due to vicine that oxidizes and degrades RBC

Chickpeas Cicer arietinum: forage has toxic proteins Near Eastern Do not like cool climates Quality and easily digestible proteins

Soy beans Glycine max: Native of China High is proteins sulfur containing ones Isoflavones: genestine; daizein Phytosterols Antivitamins; protease inhibitors; cyanogens; saponins

Pigean peas Cajanus cajan

Black-eye peas Vigna unguiculata

Lima beans Phaseolus lunatas/limensis Lima; kidney or garden beans(P.vulgaris); green or mung beans(P. aureus); blackgram (P.mungo)

Peanuts Arachis hypogea: pedicles enter the ground for fruit to mature Unique flowering and fruiting 45% oils; 20-25% proteins; South America – origin Mainly used as roasted seeds; peanut butter and oil

Tamarind and carob Tamarindus indica Ceratonina siliqua