A crude sword bean (Canavalia gladiata) extract is gelated by cooling.

White sword bean (Canavalia gladiata) seeds have the potential to be utilized in the manufacturing of processed foods owing to their high protein and carbohydrate content. Our previous reports explored the use of the sword bean as a source of food materials by preparing extracts in distilled water. In the present study, we found that one such extract can be gelated by cooling. The gelling substances were extracted by boiling and simultaneously stirring a suspension containing ground beans. Few proteins were present in the gelated extract. We also examined the conditions under which gelation occurred and the gel melting temperature. The extract gelated at temperatures below 10 °C, and the resulting gel melted at those above 65 °C. This is the first report that gelling substances can be extracted from sword beans in large quantities. We expect that this gelling agent can be used for the production of processed foods.