The complementation effects on dietary protein of ungerminated and germinated mung bean (Phaseolus aureus) with rice.

Biological evaluations using rats were carried out to determine the complementation effects on dietary protein of cooked mung bean/rice and cooked germinated mung bean/rice mixtures. On an isoproteic basis, mung bean protein was found to be of a lower quality than rice protein. Upon complementation with rice, however, the protein quality of the ungerminated and germinated mung bean/rice mixtures steadily increased when rice was incorporated to provide 25, 50 and 75% of the protein in the diet. A comparison study between germinated and ungerminated mung bean/rice mixtures indicated that the latter mixture was of a better protein quality. Nevertheless, replacement of 75% of the dietary protein of mung bean by rice showed no difference between the germinated and ungerminated mung bean.