The effect of maturity on the texture of the testa and cotyledon of peas (Pisum sativum)

Summary The textures of the separated testa and cotyledon of peas both when raw and cooked were measured with a small penetrometer over a wide range of maturity. The values for the raw testa rose little with increase in age but the cooked testa and the raw and cooked cotyledon all rose markedly. There were no significant differences in six varieties tested. It is argued that instruments predicting the texture of the cooked pea from the raw must measure the hardness of the cotyledon.