Abstract:
This study investigated the e1ect of microwave pretreatment on cooking time of presoaked Bambara groundnut seeds, functional
properties of resultant 4ours, and their phenolic composition and antioxidant properties. Microwave treatment signi6cantly
decreased cooking time and resulted in decreased water solubility index (WSI) (by up to 66%) and nitrogen solubility index (NSI)
(up to 81%) of the resultant 4ours, as well as a decrease in pasting viscosity and enthalpy compared to raw 4our. However, the
1200Wtreatment resulted in higher pasting viscosity, WSI, and NSI than the 900Wtreatment. .ere were di1erences in type of
4avonoids and phenolic acids between the two types of Bambara groundnut seeds, while microwave treatment caused certain
increase and decrease in individual 4avonoids, such as catechin, quercetin-3-O-glucoside, and hesperidin. .e 4ours maintained
good radical scavenging antioxidant activity and protected plasmid DNA from oxidative damage. Overall, the study suggests that
microwave pretreatment shows potential in alleviating the hard-to-cook Bambara groundnut seeds in producing 4our with
functional and antioxidant properties.
