The aim of this study was to evaluate different methods to cook Carioca beans (open pan, domestic pressure cooker and microwave oven), with or without previous soaking of the beans. The results demonstrated that the absence of the soaking step promoted an increase in the cooking time of the samples, with a higher loss of nutrients, an increase of the in vitro protein digestibility and also a more effective inactivation of tannins. The use of the microwave oven preserved the availability of the amino acids lysine and methionine and presented higher values for insoluble fiber. Higher soluble fiber contents were found in the soaked samples when the soaking water was used.
bean; cook; soaking; pressure cooker; microwave oven
