Enhancement of Ascorbic Acid in Processed Yellow Cultivar Mung Bean Seeds

Ascorbic acid is an excellent reducing power and antioxidant metabolite that participates in various biochemical reactions like metabolism of tyrosine, tryptophan and catecholamines, serotonin, biosynthesis of nitric oxide (NO), protects DNA and proteins from potential free radical damage. For humans, it is an essential vitamin which must be supplied through exogenous sources and diet, whose latent and chronic deficiency causes various patho-physiological, non-communicable, degenerative and metabolic complications whereas, acute deficiency was implicated with vascular damage, tissue damage and scurvy. The purpose of the study is to enhance ascorbic acid content in commonly eaten food grains as fruits and vegetables, which are good sources of ascorbic acid, due to their soaring prices have become unaffordable for the people of low income groups. This is the first report wherein, we have made an attempt to enhance the ascorbic acid content of a yellow colored mung bean cultivar by simple house-hold processing technique. The ascorbic acid content of 100 g of dry seeds and 12 hr rehydrated seeds were estimated to 27 mg whereas, the germinating seeds have shown an increase in the ascorbic acid content to 114 mg per 100 g seeds.. The processing of mung bean seeds by sprouting has been shown to increase the ascorbic acid content by 4.2 fold as compared to that of unprocessed dry seeds. The ascorbic acid content of 100g mung bean seeds was found to be twice the value of recommended dietary allowance, thus mung bean sprouts of yellow cultivar seeds appears to be an excellent source to mitigate various pathologies.