Hard-to-cook phenomenon in common beans: towards understanding the role of pectic polysaccharides KU Leuven
The importance of common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in addressing food insecurity and protein-energy malnutrition cannot be underestimated. However, their utilization is hampered by the occurrence of the hard-to-cook (HTC) phenomenon, a condition in which seeds do not imbibe sufficient water during soaking (hard-shell effect) and do not become tender after a reasonable cooking time (HTC defect). Various hypotheses have been postulated to ...