The legume Cicer arietinum (chick-pea) is a commonly used source of dietary protein in India because of its high biological value and non-toxic nature. The objective of this investigation was to study the effects of cooking on the availability of four essential amino acids in chick-peas and on the utilization of its protein for tissue synthesis. Acid hydrolysis for varying periods of time was used to determine the optimum level of each amino acid present in raw, roasted, boiled, and steam-cooked chick-peas. Enzymatic hydrolysis with pepsin and pancreatin for varying periods of time was used to study the quantitative release of the amino acids in vitro. The lysine, threonine, valine, and leucines present in the acid and enzyme hydrolysates were identified by 1-dimensional polychromatic paper chromatography using n-butanol, acetic acid, and water as the solvent for resolution. Quantitative estimations were based on the elution and colorimetric readings of the chromatograms. A growth experiment with weanling rats was employed to evaluate the overall quality of the protein. Using a randomized block design, five groups of 3 week old male rats of the Holtzman strain were fed a basal diet supplying 10% protein through casein, and experimental diets supplying 10% protein through raw, roasted, boiled, and steam-cooked chick-peas for a 4 week period
