Mung beans (Vignia aureus)
Mung beans are native to India and they form an important component of the human diet in Asia, where the whole or split seeds are used. Mung beans can be sprouted, cooked or ground into a flour. Mung beans provide an important protein source, and together with cereals, provide complete proteins. In the East, the beans are either sprouted, or used to make Dhal, soups and curries, and in India, foods such as Idli and Dosa consist of mixtures of rice and mung beans.50 The popularity of mung beans has also increased in Western cultures and mung beans, particularly sprouts, are being used more and more extensively. The beans can be ground into a flour, which can be used to make noodles, breads and biscuits.
Mung beans belong to the genus Vignia comprising a number of related species, of which the cow pea (Vignia unguiculata) and the mung bean (Vignia radiata), have all been cultivated for human consumption for centuries. Cow peas are extensively cultivated in African countries and are relatively cheap. This factor, and the fact that they have a very high-protein concentration (ranging from 22.8-26.8g/100g dry matter) make them ideally suited to the extraction of bean milk to be used as infant formulas in poorer countries. Such milk-extracts contribute more protein to the RDA of both infants and children up to three years of age, than does human milk.63
Mung beans are deficient in sulphur amino acids such as methionine, but they are rich in lysine, so it is important to include grains in the diet to gain the maximum benefit from the high protein concentrations that are present. It is also important to remember that the processing techniques discussed earlier be applied when preparing mung beans, as they also contain enzyme suppressants, indigestible carbohydrate varieties and substances which interfere with ion absorption. Soaking, cooking and sprouting, all reduce the concentrations of these metabolic suppressants and the sprouted mung bean in particular is highly nutritious. Sprouting mung beans, reduces the quantities of raffinose, phytic acid and tannin, and it increases the quantities of glucose, galactose, sucrose, folic acid, vitamin C and inorganic phosphorous. Furthermore, the bio-availability of iron is increased by sprouting, fat metabolism is stimulated, and the digestibility of protein is enhanced.50 Sprouts should be allowed to grow for at least 3 to 4 days, as the nutrient availability increases with time, and after 72 hours of sprouting, the true digestibility of the proteins will be improved by as much as 12.8% over that of the ungerminated bean. Raw sprouts will provide a high-vitamin content, and whilst stir frying or blanching of mung bean sprouts will have little effect on the protein and fat availability, it will reduce the vitamin C content by as much as 50%. As a whole food diet, which includes plenty of fruits and vegetables, supplies ample vitamin C, there is certainly nothing wrong in using sprouts in stir fries occasionally.