Effects of Soaking Treatments and Cooking Upon Selected B‐Vitamins and the Quality of Blackeyed Peas

Commercially harvested blackeyed peas (cultivar Crimson) were divided into lots soaked 3 hr in 3 buffers (citrate, phosphate, bicarbonate) at 4 pH's (4.5, 5.5, 7.0, 8.5) with and without added ethylenediaminetetracetate (EDTA). Soaked peas were cooked by boiling and steaming. Vitamins, including pantothenic acid, niacin, and folacin, were more consistently stable to bicarbonate buffer, and were not affected by EDTA. None of the buffers showed a consistently negative effect on all vitamins lost. Soaking in phosphate and citrate buffers, especially at pH 4.5, decreased discoloration. Steam cooking retained more B‐vitamins in peas, while boiling resulted in more tender peas. Soaking peas in buffers prior to pre‐cooking reduced the time required for cooking.