MICROMETHOD TO DETERMINE CRUDE FIBER IN BEANS AND BEAN SEEDS

Abstract

In this study an adaptation to a micromethod for analyzing crude fiber content in food is presented. This technique was designed to avoid sorne of the drawbacks associated with the AOAC method. Several tests were performed to establish a conditioning treatment for pods and seed samples of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), as well as reagent volumes and optimal reaction periods. lt was found that samples of 30 mg of dehydrated pods bean material and 100 mg of seeds bean are needed to obtain reliable results. The micromethod required smaller amounts of reagents than the AOAC method and was faster, allowing analysis in duplicate of eight samples in eight hours, as compared to three samples in duplicate during the same period with the AOAC method. The difference between the results obtained using the two methods was not significant. The reduced volume required in the micromethod samples allows a good homogenization, an important prerequisite for a reliable analysis.