Thanks to their high protein content,
beans are a key nutrient in the developing world. The downside is that they, notoriously, give rise to
flatulence which causes embarrassment and is socially unacceptable. Now, though, with the
aid of suitable
bacteria, all that has changed. An added bonus is that the food becomes more nutritious.
Flatulence is caused by undigested food matter like soluble fibre, being attacked by bacteria that live in the large intestine. Black beans, popular in Central and South America, are prime offenders since they contain many such flatulence inducing compounds.
Researchers found that by adding bacteria L.Casei while
fermenting beans, flatulence causing compounds were significantly reduced. But valuable insoluble fibre, responsible for getting rid of toxins, almost doubled in volume. Not surprisingly, their conclusion was that the process of fermenting beans, with L.Casei, could effectively deal with flatulence while improving nutrition. Since beans are not just any food, but a major source of nutrition in less developed countries, the food industry should think seriously about fermenting beans with L. Casei as a food processing strategy. It would serve a worthy cause.
Incidentally, its name suggests that L. Casei is a milk based bacteria, and when milk is found to be indigestible due to
lactose (milk sugar) intolerance in some people, matters can be remedied by converting the milk into curd, with the aid of
acid forming bacteria that change lactose into lactic acid.
For those who have the patience, eating small quantities of beans to start with, and gradually increasing the quantity over a period, may be all that is required for the body to adapt and overcome the tendency to flatulence.
Published: April 27, 2006
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