EVALUATION OF DIFFERENT PROCESSING METHODS ON THE NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION AND CERTAIN ANTI-NUTRITIONAL FACTORS IN PEAS Pisum sativum

Green pea (Pisum sativum)  is an annual leguminous crop grown in varied weather condition, however  it  prefers temperate climate and well drained sandy soil. It is  a nutritious legume which contains high protein  about 25%, amino acids, carbohydrate, Vitamins A and C,  and minerals such as calcium and phosphorus. Apart from being an important source of food, pea,  (Pisum sativum)  seeds  play a role  as an alternative feed ingredients  to  soybeans as  plant protein source in the diet formulation  for marine and brackishwater  fish and crustaceans.  The proximate composition of peas is found to be comparable with other grain legumes such as lentils and beans (Vicia faba) and cereals.  

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Peas are known to contain anti-nutritional factors, such as trypsin inhibitors (TIA), tannins, phytic acid, saponins which are reported to be responsible for decreasing protein quality,    amino acid availability and adversely affect the nutritive value of the seed. TIA are present in many legumes in varying amounts while phytic acid in the seeds is usually stored in the form of phosphorus.  Tannins are polyphenolic compounds that bind enzymes and other proteins to form insoluble complexes  while on the other hand, saponins were considered secondary plant metabolites.

Therefore, this study  was conducted in order to evaluate the different processing methods on the nutritional and anti-nutritional factors of  green peas. Raw peas (A) which serves as control  were subjected to the different feed processing methods into dehulled green pea ( B), autoclaved green pea ( C) and soaked green pea ( D) samples.  

The results of the effect of the different processing methods on the proximate composition and anti-nutritional factors  of green peas are presented in Tables 1 & 2.