ABSTRACT

 The study investigated the comparative study on the physicochemical properties offlour obtained from three varieties ofbeans. Three varieties ofbeans namely; honey beans, iron beans and brown beans were procured and processed into flour. The flour were analyzed for their functional, proximate, mineral, vitamins and pasting properties based on standard methods. The statistical analysis was carried out using one-way ANOVA at 95 % confidence level. Result showed that functional properties ranged from 0.91 to 0.97 g/ml, 2.43 to 2.90 ml/g, 1.51 to 1.91 ml/g, 12.95 to 25.03 % and 111.10 to 123.10 % for bulk density, water holding capacity, oil absorption capacity, foam capacity and foam stability respectively. The proximate composition ranged from 5.60 to 5.84 %, 22.97 to 25.61 %, 3.63 to 5.54 %, 0.99 to 1.29 %, 2.54 to 3.40 %, 58.13 to 63.82 % and 379.50 to 387.46 kcal for moisture content, crude protein, fat, crude fiber, ash, carbohydrate and energy value respectively. The mineral composition ranged from 5.90 to 7.44 mg/100 g, 280.61 to 299.06 mg/100 g, 325.14 to 380.46 mg/100 g, 245.40 to 261.20 mg/100 g, 235.51 to 251.29 mg/100 g, 6.82 to 9.08 mg/100 g and 1.80 to 2.04 mg/100 g for sodium, calcium, phosphorous, potassium, magnesium, iron and zinc respectively. The vitamin composition ranged from 0.38 to 0.47 mg/100 g, 0.07 to 032 mg/100 g and 1.45 to 1.91 mg/100 g for vitamin Bi, vitamin B2 and vitamin B3 respectively. The pasting properties ranged from 210.00 to 413.00 RVL), 203.00 to 401.00 RVU, 7.00 to 12.00 RVU, 277.00 to 625.00 RVU, 74.00 to 224.00 RVU, 5.20 to 6.27 minutes and 70.90 to 87.10 °C for peak viscosity, trough viscosity, breakdown viscosity, final viscosity, setback viscosity, peak time and pasting temperatures respectively. This research work revealed that each varieties of beans flour offers a unique set of advantages that can be strategically harnessed in food applications. The study also revealed that variations in their composition are directly reflected in their behavior during processing, showing that beans are not interchangeable but instead exhibit varieties-specific strengths that can support tailored food product development