Understanding water uptake from the induced changes occurred during processing: Chemistry of pinto and navy bean seed coats

Seeds of different bean types of Phaseolus vulargis display different rates of water imbibition. A processing treatment consisting of tempering and heating was used to improve the rate of water uptake in beans. Chemical properties of unprocessed and processed seed coats were examined. Seeds that readily imbibed water presented lower levels of fatty acids and phenolics in the seed coat. Processing to improve water uptake also caused a decrease in total phenolics content of the seed coats. These results link improved water uptake with decreased lipid and total phenolics content in the seed coat. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.