Nutritional quality, phenolics, and antioxidant capacity of mung bean paste obtained from seeds soaked in sodium bicarbonate

For paste preparation, before cooking mung bean seeds were soaked in water (CS) and sodium bicarbonate solutions (NaHCO₃) (0.5%, 1%, and 2% - 0.5SB, 1SB, and 2SB, respectively). The shortest cooking time was observed in the 2SB. The total phenolic compounds and the antioxidant activity of the chemically extractable fraction of the bean paste increased with the increasing concentration of NaHCO₃. The highest content of potentially bioaccessible phenolics was determined in 2SB (8.51 mg/g d.m.), while the lowest in CS (6.94 mg/g d.m.). The process of soaking in the NaHCO₃ solution increased the content of resistant starch, decreased starch digestibility, and only slightly affected protein digestibility. In conclusion, soaking the mung bean in NaHCO₃ before cooking shortened the cooking time, increased the content of phenolics and the antioxidant capacity of the paste, and diversified the nutritional quality of the final products.