Journal of Food Processing & Technology

Abstract

Amino Acid Profiles of Some Varieties of Rice, Soybean and Groundnut Grown in Ghana

Eshun Naomi Amankwah, Emmanuel Adu, Barimah John, Dossou VM and Van Twisk C

Amino acid profiles of some Ghanaian varieties of rice, soybean and groundnut were investigated to augment existing data on their physicochemical properties and provide information to guide their application in weaning foods formulation. Five varieties of rice and four varieties each of groundnuts and soybeans were analyzed. Amino acids were separated using HPLC. Without postcolumn derivatization, Evaporative Light Scattering Detector (ELSD) was used to determine their concentrations against standard amino acids. Local rice varieties lacked tryptophan, valine, glycine, glutamic acid and lysine and histidine was present in only Nerica-2 variety but Nerica-1 variety had the highest total essential amino acid content of 36.42 g/kg. Quarshie soybean variety expressed all the amino acids under study and also had the highest total essential amino acids content of 169.14 g/kg. Sinkarzie and F-Mix groundnut varieties expressed all amino acids except tryptophan, with Sinkarzie having the highest total essential amino acids content of 100.62 g/kg.