Effect of cooking on non-starch polysaccharides of hard-to-cook beans

Experiments carried out to study changes induced by hard-to-cook (HTC) phenomenon in the non-starch polysaccharides of beans stored at 30 degrees C and 75% RH for 8 months showed that the development of HTC did not affect the amounts of soluble and insoluble fibre in cooked seeds but changed their carbohydrates physical properties. Aged beans non-starch polysaccharides presented lower water-solubility and underwent lower degradation of galacturonans and arabinose-rich polysaccharides when submitted to cooking. The decrease in non-starch polysaccharides water-solubility produced a shift in the polymers fractionation profile which resulted in an increase of weak and middle-alkali soluble polymers bulk as well as in their arabinose and uronic acid contents. Uronic acid contents were higher in polymers released by 1 M NaOH and in the cellulose-rich residues while the arabinose contents were higher in the mild-alkali soluble polymers of aged seeds. Methylation analysis showed no evident alterations in the xyloglucans and arabinans branching degree with beans ageing. However, both, the molecular mass of water-soluble pectins and CDTA-soluble pectins, increased. Even though changes in the non-starch polysaccharide solubility were not related to the decrease in the arabinan and xyloglucan degree of branching they may be related to the formation of new chemical interactions other than hydrogen bond. There was a correlation between acidic and neutral polysaccharides insolubilisation in beans ageing and probably in beans hardening. After processing, aged seeds present higher amounts of insoluble fibre when compared to normal beans. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The policy cycle and vernacular globalization: a case study of the creation of Vietnam National University - Hochiminh City

This article examines the policy cycle and vernacular globalization in the context of higher education reform in Vietnam. Through an analysis of the development of the Vietnam National University - Hochiminh City as part of the post-1986 reconstruction of Vietnamese higher education, the article considers the complex interrelationship between globalized policy discourses, national interests and history in Vietnam, and the specific politics of policy implementation within one institution. Vietnam National University - Hochiminh City was created through an amalgamation of a number of smaller universities, and against the backdrop of social and economic restructuring aimed at promoting industrialization and a market orientation within socialist governance. The article reveals the dynamic tension between these local and global influences on higher education policy and practice, and more specifically, the dilemmas associated with top-down policy implementation when a new organization consists of older organizations with powerful provenance and reputations. In so doing the article demonstrates the necessity to globalize policy theory.