Enhancing the Processing Characteristics of Edible Beans

Advanced life-support systems, which use chemical, physical, and biological processes, are being developed to support future long-term human planetary exploration. As a result, there is a need to develop innovative food processes for baseline crops, such as dry beans (legumes) that have a shelf-life of more than one year and can support human life during extended space travel. Legumes are hydrated in large volumes of water to about 50% moisture to help reduce process times. Hydration is lengthy often requiring more than 8 hours using room temperature water, or boiling water for 2-3 minutes followed by soaking for at least one hour. Additionally, long cooking times ranging from about 30 minutes to over 2 hours are also required. We propose a reduction in the time, energy, and water requirements for processing legumes by using a novel combination of food grade carbohydrases to enhance the processing characteristics of legumes (Pinto, Navy and Kidney beans) prior to implementation of conventional (boiling, cooking, canning or microwaving) techniques.