Effect of Purdue Improved Crop Storage (Pics) Bags on Protease Inhibitors Activity of Stored Beans (Phaseolus Vulgaris)

The common bean is a versatile crop that plays an indisputable role in human nutrition and food security while providing proteins, carbohydrates, and other important nutrients.It is rightly called the meat for the poor.However, as all legumes in general, they contain several antinutrients which must be removed or deactivated prior to utilization as food.In addition, during storage, they develop the Hard-To-Cook phenomenon which, not only hinders their nutritional value, but also impacts on the forestry in developing countries where the firewood is the main source of energy used for cooking.In this project, freshly harvested beans were stored for 2 months in Purdue Improved Crop Storage and propylene woven bags, then tested for antiprotease activity on bone gelatin as substrate.The protease used was the bromelain extracted from pineapple peels.The protease inhibitors extracted from the Purdue Improved Crop Storage and the propylene stored beans inhibited the bromelain respectively by 10 and 20%.The kinetics of inhibition resembled that of a mixed type, implying that different binding sites for bromelain and bean extracted inhibitors were involved.It was then concluded that Purdue Improved Crop Storage bags were better than propylene woven bags at keeping bean proteins availability during storage.