Dry beans are rich sources of dietary fiber and phytochemicals such as flavonoids and phenolics that exhibit good functional properties. In current study line, cooking and soaking time effects were investigated on water absorption, splitting and texture of different Iranian red kidney beans to determine the best lines and the best soaking time related to them for industrial use. D81083 line had the highest level of water absorption after 24 h soaking followed by Akhtar and KS31164 lines while Azna, Goli and Naz lines had the lowest level of water absorption (p < 0.05). Akhtar and Sayyad had the highest level of splitting while KS31164 had the lowest level of splitting (p < 0.05). Soaking of Akhtar line for 24 h caused the highest level of water absorption accompanied with low splitting level. 24 h soaking and longer cooking time is recommended for Sayyad, while 12 h soaking and longer cooking time is recommended for KS31164 line. 24 h soaking causes higher level of water absorption and lower level of splitting in Derakhshan line. The effects of line, cooking and soaking time on red bean texture were significant (p < 0.01).
Keywords: Cooking; Red kidney beans; Shear strength; Soaking; Splitting; Water absorption.