title: Chemical composition and microstructure of Bauhinia grains.
abstract: Bauhinia is a leguminous plant species found in almost every part of the world, including southern Africa. In this study, grain composition and protein body microstructure of two indigenous southern African Bauhinia species, B. galpinii and B. petersiana were determined. Protein (38 g/100 g) and fat (23 g/100 g) were the major constituents of Bauhinia. Bauhinia grains also contained substantial amounts of zinc (6 mg/100 g) and iron (3 mg/100 g) when compared to FAO/WHO standards. The parenchyma cells of Bauhinia showed spherical protein bodies with globoids inclusions and these were surrounded by lipids. However, the protein bodies of B. petersiana were smaller in size (7 ± 3 μm) than those of B. galpinii (13 ± 4 μm). The microstructure of protein bodies in Bauhinia is very similar to that of soya, suggesting that the processing technology developed for soya protein may be adopted for Bauhinia.
authors.affiliation: School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209 Pietermaritzburg, South Africa ; Department of Biotechnology and Food Technology, Durban University of Technology, P.O. Box 1334, Durban, 4000 South Africa.
authors.forename: Eric O
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Amonsou
authors.affiliation: School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209 Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: Muthulisi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Siwela
authors.affiliation: Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), P.O. Box 395, Pretoria, 0001 South Africa.
authors.forename: Nomusa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dlamini
keywords: Bauhinia; Composition; Microstructure; Protein; Soya