Scientist’s goal is less ‘music’ for bean eaters

Associated Press

FARGO, N.D. — Researcher Sam Chang is on a mission: He is looking for ways to break down the "flatulence sugars" in beans before they create an audible side effect.

Besides improving what he calls the "social-behavior status" of beans, the project could lead to products that provide high protein and fiber without producing intestinal gas.

Chang, a researcher at North Dakota State University, has kept a sense of humor about his work.

"As a researcher, when people ask what we do and we say beans, people start to laugh," he said.

Flatulence science, as Chang explains it, works like this: Beans contain sugars called raffinose oligosaccharides, which cannot be broken down by human enzymes. The molecules survive the digestive tract until they reach the large intestine, where they fall prey to bacteria that ferment them.

The process produces gases — methane, hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The result, embarrassing for adults, can be painful for infants, eliminating otherwise healthful beans as an ingredient in baby food. Solving the problem could boost demand for beans in both adult and baby foods.

To do that, the NDSU project will add enzymes that can attack the flatulence sugars while ground pinto beans are dehydrated.

Success will be measured by testing the reconstituted product for flatulence sugars, while its consistency and appearance will be compared to an untreated mix. Different enzymes will be studied to find the best and cheapest process.

"We just need to find suitable, optimal conditions for them to work," Chang said.

He estimates the study will take at least two years.