Question

Variation 1:PH 3 Acidic

Variation 2:- PH 8 alkali

Variation 3:- PH 7

What was the difference between the 3 variations of beans?

What factors caused these 3 different outcomes? What is the science behind the results? Please be specific.

How does an acid and a base affect the cooking of the beans compared to plain water?

Answer 1

1) generally all beans are acid forming in nature except lentils and soya bean which are alkaline forming food. Generally the pH of beans is 5.6 to 6. Difference in these beans indicates that they were grown in different experimental conditions with varying pH.

2) The three variations mentioned here arises because of many factors like soil pH or the water supplied to the plants. The science behind the results indicates that variation in acidity and alkalinity changes the quality of plants. That is plant growth and nutrient content is controlled by many factors and here the pH of bean varies based on the pH of soil and water pH.

3)The pigment that maintains the colour of beans is chlorophyll.When it cooked in acid the colour of beans chaned to pale green or olive green.Cooking in slightly alkaline water maintains the flavour of food and colour retention too but the texture becomes soft and mushy. Alkaline water or acidic water breaks the cells and cooking is faster. Plain water cooking maintains nutrients. The antinutrients present in beans are tannins and phytic acid. Cooking of beans reduces the nutrional value. (carbohydrates , proteins and mineral loss).