Abstract: The effect of high-temperature air fluidization (for 55 s at 215 ℃ with a feeding rate of 62 kg/h) on improving the cooking quality of adzuki bean was studied by analyzing the grain structure, starch structure, gelatinization characteristics, water absorption, migration and distribution of adzuki bean. The results showed that the dense structure of the grain became loose, the diameter of the capillary pores between adjacent cells in the cotyledons increased, and the structure of some starch granules was damaged in adzuki bean after high-temperature air fluidization treatment. During cooking in near-boiling water at 98 ℃, the gelatinization degree of the untreated adzuki beans at 60 min was similar to that of the treated adzuki beans at 30 min. The gelatinization viscosity and retrogradation tendency of the treated adzuki beans were lower than those of the untreated adzuki beans. After cooking for 60 min, the water absorption rate of the treated adzuki beans was 90.06%, which was 34.84% higher than that of the untreated red adzuki beans, suggesting that the water absorption ability was significantly improved after the treatment. The water migration rate in the treated adzuki bean particles was accelerated significantly and the water distribution was more uniform. Furthermore, the sensory evaluation score of cooked rice with the treated adzuki beans was higher. In conclusion, high-temperature air fluidization improves the cooking quality of adzuki beans by expanding the passage of moisture into the grain and destroying the water absorption barrier to improve the water absorption performance, consequently enable the starch to absorb water more completely and be gelatinized more thoroughly and simultaneously improve the taste of cooked adzuki beans.

Key words: adzuki bean; high-temperature air fluidization; cooking quality; gelatinization characteristics; water behavior