Amino Acid Profiles after Sprouting, Autoclaving, and Lactic Acid Fermentation of Finger Millet (Eleusine Coracan) and Kidney Beans (Phaseolus Vulgaris L.)

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Abstract
Seeds of finger millet (Eleucine coracan (L.) Gaertner) and kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were sprouted, autoclaved, and fermented during the processing of a weaning (complementary) food for children. Relative changes in individual amino acids with processing were evaluated. Finger millet and kidney beans both showed a good percentage of essential to total amino acids, with 44.2−44.9% in finger millet and 44.2−45.1% in kidney beans, when compared to 33.9% for the FAO/WHO reference protein for 2−5 year old children. Sprouting resulted in a significant decrease in lysine in kidney beans. Autoclaving caused significant decreases in histidine, while fermentation significantly decreased phenylalanine and increased tryptophan in finger millet. The leucine-to-lysine ratio, which is an indicator of the pellagragenic character of a protein, was significantly improved in finger millet by both sprouting and fermentation. Keywords: Finger millet; kidney beans; sprouting; fermentation; amino acids