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The mung bean (''Vigna radiata''), alternatively known as the green gram, maash ( fa, ماش٫ )٫ mūng (), monggo, or munggo (Philippines), is a
plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...
species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
in the legume family.Brief Introduction of Mung Bean. Vigna Radiata Extract Green Mung Bean Extract Powder Phaseolus aureus Roxb Vigna radiata L R Wilczek. MDidea-Extracts Professional. P054. http://www.mdidea.com/products/proper/proper05402.html The mung bean is mainly cultivated in
East East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...
,
Southeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
and
South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...
. It is used as an ingredient in both savoury and sweet dishes.


Description

The green gram is an annual vine with yellow flowers and fuzzy brown pods. The English word ''mung'' originated from the Hindi word (), which is derived from the
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
word ().


Morphology

Mung bean (''Vigna radiata'') is a plant species of
Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...
which is also known as green gram. It is sometimes confused with black gram (''Vigna mungo'') for their similar
morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines *Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts *Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...
, though they are two different
species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
. The green gram is an annual vine with yellow flowers and fuzzy brown pods. There are three subgroups of ''Vigna radiata'', including one cultivated (''Vigna radiata subsp. radiata'') and two wild ones (''Vigna radiata subsp. Sublobata'' and ''Vigna radiata subsp. glabra''). It has a height of about 15–125 cm. Mung bean has a well-developed root system. The
lateral root Lateral roots, emerging from the pericycle (meristematic tissue), extend horizontally from the primary root (radicle) and over time makeup the iconic branching pattern of root systems. They contribute to anchoring the plant securely into the soil, ...
s are many and slender, with root nodules grown. Stems are much branched, sometimes twining at the tips. Young stems are purple or green, and mature stems are grayish yellow or brown. They can be divided into erect
cespitose This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...
, semi-trailing and trailing types. Wild types tend to be prostrate while cultivated types are more erect. Leaves are ovoid or broad-ovoid,
cotyledon A cotyledon (; ; ; , gen. (), ) is a significant part of the embryo within the seed of a plant, and is defined as "the embryonic leaf in seed-bearing plants, one or more of which are the first to appear from a germinating seed." The numb ...
s die after emergence, and ternate leaves are produced on two single leaves. The leaves are 6–12 cm long and 5–10 cm wide.
Raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...
s with yellow flowers are borne in the axils and tips of the leaves, with 10-25 flowers per pedicel, self-pollinated. The fruits are elongated cylindrical or flat cylindrical pods, usually 30-50 per plant. The pods are 5–10 cm long and 0.4-0.6 cm wide and contain 12-14 septum-separated seeds, which are either green, yellow, brown or blue and can be cylindrical or spherical in shape. Seed colors and presence or absence of a rough layer are used to distinguish different types of mung bean.


Growth stages

Germination Germination is the process by which an organism grows from a seed or spore. The term is applied to the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an angiosperm or gymnosperm, the growth of a sporeling from a spore, such as the spores of fungi, fer ...
is typically within 4–5 days, but the actual rate varies according to the amount of moisture introduced during the germination stage. It is
epigeal Epigeal, epigean, epigeic and epigeous are biological terms describing an organism's activity above the soil surface. In botany, a seed is described as showing epigeal germination when the cotyledons of the germinating seed expand, throw off the ...
, with the stem and
cotyledon A cotyledon (; ; ; , gen. (), ) is a significant part of the embryo within the seed of a plant, and is defined as "the embryonic leaf in seed-bearing plants, one or more of which are the first to appear from a germinating seed." The numb ...
s emerging from the
seedbed A seedbed or seedling bed is the local soil environment in which seeds are planted. Often it comprises not only the soil but also a specially prepared cold frame, hotbed or raised bed used to grow the seedlings in a controlled environment into l ...
. After germination, the seed splits, and a soft, whitish root grows.
Mung bean sprouts Mung bean sprouts are a culinary vegetable grown by sprouting mung beans. They can be grown by placing and watering the sprouted beans in the shade until the hypocotyls grow long. Mung bean sprouts are extensively cultivated and consumed in East ...
are harvested during this stage. If not harvested, it develops a
root In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the sur ...
system, then a green stem which contains two leaves shoots up from the soil. After that,
seed pods This page provides a glossary of plant morphology. Botanists and other biologists who study plant morphology use a number of different terms to classify and identify plant organs and parts that can be observed using no more than a handheld magnify ...
begin to form on its
branch A branch, sometimes called a ramus in botany, is a woody structural member connected to the central trunk (botany), trunk of a tree (or sometimes a shrub). Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs. The term '' ...
es, with 10-15 seeds contained in each pod. The maturation can take up to 60 days. Once matured, it can reach up to 30 inches (76 cm) tall, with multiple branches with seed pods. Most of the seed pods become darker, while some remain green.


Nitrogen fixation and cover crop

As a legume plant, mung bean is in symbiotic association with
Rhizobia Rhizobia are diazotrophic bacteria that fix nitrogen after becoming established inside the root nodules of legumes (Fabaceae). To express genes for nitrogen fixation, rhizobia require a plant host; they cannot independently fix nitrogen. In gene ...
which enables it to fix atmospheric nitrogen (58–109 kg per ha mung bean). It can provide large amounts of
biomass Biomass is plant-based material used as a fuel for heat or electricity production. It can be in the form of wood, wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues, and waste from industry, farms, and households. Some people use the terms bi ...
(7.16 t biomass/ha) and
nitrogen Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at se ...
to the soil (ranging from 30 to 251 kg/ha). The nitrogen fixation ability not only enables it to meet its own nitrogen requirement, but also benefit the succeeding crops. It can be used as a
cover crop In agriculture, cover crops are plants that are planted to cover the soil rather than for the purpose of being harvested. Cover crops manage soil erosion, soil fertility, soil quality, water, weeds, pests, diseases, biodiversity and wildlife i ...
before or after
cereal crops A cereal is any grass cultivated for the edible components of its grain (botanically, a type of fruit called a caryopsis), composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran. Cereal grain crops are grown in greater quantities and provide more food en ...
in rotation, which makes a good
green manure In agriculture, a green manure is a crop specifically produced to be incorporated into the soil while still green. Typically, the green manure's biomass is incorporated with a plow or disk, as is often done with (brown) manure. The primary goal ...
.


Taxonomy

Mung beans are one of many
species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
moved from the
genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
''
Phaseolus ''Phaseolus'' (bean, wild bean) is a genus of herbaceous to woody annual and perennial vines in the family Fabaceae containing about 70 plant species, all native to the Americas, primarily Mesoamerica. It is one of the most economically importan ...
'' to ''
Vigna ''Vigna'' is a genus of plants in the legume family, Fabaceae, with a pantropical distribution.Aitawade, M. M., et al. (2012)Section ''Ceratotropis'' of subgenus ''Ceratotropis'' of ''Vigna'' (Leguminosae–Papilionoideae) in India with a new ...
'' in the 1970s. The previous names were ''Phaseolus aureus'' or ''P. radiatus.''


Cultivation


Varieties

The mung bean varieties now are mainly targeted in resistance to pests and diseases, particularly the
bean weevil The bean weevils or seed beetles are a subfamily (Bruchinae) of beetles, now placed in the family Chrysomelidae, though they have historically been treated as a separate family. They are granivores, and typically infest various kinds of seeds ...
and mung bean yellow mosaic virus (MYMV). For now, the main varieties include Samrat, IPM2-3, SML 668 and Meha in India; Crystal, Jade-AU, Celera-AU,Satin II,Regur in Australia; Zhonglv No.1, Zhonglv No.2, Jilv No.2, Jilv No.7, Weilv No.4, Jihong 9218, Jihong 8937, Bao 876-16, Bao 8824-17 in China. Also, with the help of the
World Vegetable Center The World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) (), previously known as the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC), is an international, nonprofit institute for vegetable research and development. It was founded in 1971 in Shanhua, souther ...
, the traits of mung bean have been improved a lot. 'Summer Moong' is a short duration mung bean pulse crop grown in northern India. Due to its short duration, it can fit well inbetween of many cropping systems. It is mainly cultivated in
East East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...
and
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
and the
Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
. It is considered to be the hardiest of all pulse crops and requires a hot climate for germination and growth.


Climate and soil requirements

Mung bean is a warm season and frost-intolerant plant. Mung bean is suitable for being planted in
temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...
,
sub-tropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately 35° north and ...
and
tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...
regions. The most suitable temperature for mung bean's germination and growth is 15-18 °C. Mung bean has high adaptability to various soil types, while the best pH of the soil is between 6.2 and 7.2. Mung bean is a
short-day plant Photoperiodism is the physiological reaction of organisms to the length of night or a dark period. It occurs in plants and animals. Plant photoperiodism can also be defined as the developmental responses of plants to the relative lengths of light a ...
and long days will delay its flowering and podding.


Harvest

The yield potential of mung bean is around 2.5 to 3.0 t/ha, however, usually due to the resistance to environmental stress and improper management, the average productivity for mung bean is only 0.5 t/ha. Since the indeterminate flowering habit of mung bean, when facing the proper environmental conditions, there can be both flowers and pods in one mung bean plant, which make it difficult for harvesting mung bean. The perfect harvesting stage is when 90% of pods' colour in one yield has been black. Mung bean can use a harverster for harvesting. It is important to set up the header in case of over-
threshing Threshing, or thrashing, is the process of loosening the edible part of grain (or other crop) from the straw to which it is attached. It is the step in grain preparation after reaping. Threshing does not remove the bran from the grain. History ...
.


Transportation and storage condition

The perfect moisture of grain for transportation is 13%. Before storage, the cleaning and grading process must be done. The ideal storage condition should keep the mung bean's moisture at exactly 12%.


Pests, diseases and abiotic stress

Most of the mung bean cultivars have a yield potential of 1.8-2.5 tons/ha. However, the actual average productivity of mung bean hovers around 0.5-0.7 t/ha. Several factors constrain its yield, including biotic stresses (pests and diseases) and abiotic stresses. Text was copied from this source, which is available under
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Stresses not only decrease productivity but also affect the physical quality of seeds, leading to be totally unusable or unfit for human consumption. All the stresses collectively can lead to significant yield losses of up to 10%-100%.


Pests

Insect pests attack mung bean at all crop stages from sowing to storage stage and take a heavy toll on crop yield. Some insect pests directly damage the crop, while others act as vectors of diseases to transmit the virus. Stem fly (bean fly) is one of the major pests of mung bean. This pest infests the crop within a week after germination and under epidemic conditions, it can cause total crop loss.
Whitefly Whiteflies are Hemipterans that typically feed on the undersides of plant leaves. They comprise the family Aleyrodidae, the only family in the superfamily Aleyrodoidea. More than 1550 species have been described. Description and taxonomy The A ...
, ''B. tabaci'', is a serious pest in mung bean and damages the crop either directly by feeding on phloem sap and excreting honeydew on the plant that forms black sooty mould or indirectly by transmitting mung bean yellow mosaic disease (MYMD). Whitefly causes yield losses between 17% and 71% in mung bean.
Thrips Thrips ( order Thysanoptera) are minute (mostly long or less), slender insects with fringed wings and unique asymmetrical mouthparts. Different thrips species feed mostly on plants by puncturing and sucking up the contents, although a few are ...
infest mung bean both in the seedling and in flowering stages. During the seedling stage, thrips infest the seedling's growing point when it emerges from the ground, and under severe infestation, the seedlings fail to grow. Flowering thrips cause heavy damage and attack during flowering and pod formation, which feed on the pedicles and stigma of flowers. Under severe infestation, flowers drop and no pod formation takes place. Spotted pod borer, ''
Maruca vitrata ''Maruca vitrata'' is a pantropical insect pest of leguminous crops like pigeon pea, cowpea, mung bean and soybean. Its common names include the maruca pod borer, bean pod borer, soybean pod borer, mung moth, and the legume pod borer. The speci ...
'', is a major insect pest in mung bean in the tropics and subtropics. The pest causes a yield loss of 2–84% in mung bean amounting to US $30 million. The larvae damage all the stages of the crop including flowers, stems, peduncles, and pods; however, heavy damage occurs at the flowering stage where the larvae form webs combining flowers and leaves. Cowpea aphid sucks plant sap that causes loss of plant vigor and may lead to yellowing, stunting or distortion of plant parts. Further, aphids secrete honeydew (unused sap) which leads to the development of sooty mould on plant parts. Cowpea aphid also can act as a vector of the mung bean common mosaic virus. Bruchid is the most severe stored pests of legume seeds worldwide, damage up to 100% losses within 3–6 months, if not controlled. Bruchid infestation in mungbean results in weight loss, low germination, and nutritional changes in seeds, thereby reducing the nutritional and market value, rendering it unfit for human consumption, agricultural and commercial uses.


Diseases

Mungbean yellow mosaic disease (MYMD) is a significant viral disease of mung bean, which causes severe yield losses annually. MYMD is caused by three distinct begomoviruses, transmitted by
whitefly Whiteflies are Hemipterans that typically feed on the undersides of plant leaves. They comprise the family Aleyrodidae, the only family in the superfamily Aleyrodoidea. More than 1550 species have been described. Description and taxonomy The A ...
. The economic losses due to MYMD account for up to 85% yield reduction in India. The major fungal diseases are Cercospora leaf spot (CLS), dry root rot,
powdery mildew Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that affects a wide range of plants. Powdery mildew diseases are caused by many different species of ascomycete fungi in the order Erysiphales. Powdery mildew is one of the easier plant diseases to identify, as ...
and
anthracnose A plant canker is a small area of dead tissue, which grows slowly, often over years. Some cankers are of only minor consequence, but others are ultimately lethal and therefore can have major economic implications for agriculture and horticultur ...
. Dry root rot (''Macrophomina phaseolina'') is an emerging disease of mungbean, causing 10–44% yield losses in mung bean production in India and Pakistan. The pathogen affects the fibrovascular system of the roots and basal internodes of its host, impeding the transport of water and nutrients to the upper parts of the plant.
Halo blight Halo blight of bean is a bacterial disease caused by '' Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola''. Halo blight’s pathogen is a gram-negative, aerobic, polar-flagellated and non-spore forming bacteria. This bacterial disease was first discovered in ...
,
bacterial leaf spot Bacterial leaf scorch (commonly abbreviated BLS, also called bacterial leaf spot) is a disease state affecting many crops, caused mainly by the xylem-plugging bacterium ''Xylella fastidiosa''. It can be mistaken for ordinary ''leaf scorch'' cause ...
, and
tan spot ''Pyrenophora tritici-repentis'' (teleomorph) and ''Drechslera tritici-repentis'' (anamorph) is a necrotrophic plant pathogen of fungal origin, phylum Ascomycota. The pathogen causes a disease originally named yellow spot but now commonly called ...
are significant bacterial diseases.


Abiotic stress

Abiotic stresses negatively influence plant growth and productivity and are the primary causes of extensive agricultural losses worldwide. Reduction in crop yield due to environmental variations has increased steadily over the decades. Salinity affects crop growth and yield by the way of osmotic stress, ion toxicity, and reduced nodulation which ultimately lead to reduced nitrogen-fixing ability. Excessive salt leads to leaf injury and then reduced photosynthesis. High-temperature stress negatively affects reproductive development in mung bean and affects all reproductive traits like flower initiation,
pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by seed plants. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm cells). Pollen grains have a hard coat made of sporopollenin that protects the gametophyt ...
viability, fertilization, pod set, seed quality, etc. High Temperature over 42 °C during summer causes hardening of seeds due to incomplete sink development. Mung bean requires a light moisture regime in the soil during its growing period, while at the time of harvest complete dry conditions are required. Since it is mostly grown under rainfed conditions, it is more susceptible to water deficiencies as compared to many other food legumes. Drought affects its growth and development by negatively affecting vegetative growth, flower initiation, abnormal pollen behavior and pod set. However, simultaneously, excess moisture or waterlogging, even for a short period of time, especially at the early vegetative stage may be detrimental to the crop. Mung bean may also be affected by excess soil and atmospheric moisture during the rainy season which may lead to pre-harvest sprouting in mature pods. It deteriorates the quality of the seed/grain produced.


Integrated disease management

Using climate analysis tools delivered on the web can firstly help farmers to interrogate climate records to ask questions relating to rainfall, temperature, radiation, and derived variables to avoid some of the abiotic stresses. Deployment of varieties with genetic resistance is the most effective and durable method for integrated disease management, in the mean time focusing on yield, height, grain quality, market opportunities and seed availability. For pre-harvest sprouting (PHS), the development of mung bean cultivars with short (10–15 days) period of fresh seed dormancy (FSD) is important to curtail losses incurred by PHS.


Market

Mung bean plants have a long history of being consumed by humans. The main consumed parts are the seeds and sprouts. The mature seeds provide an invaluable source of digestible
protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...
for humans in places where meat is lacking or where people are mostly
vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetarianism m ...
. Mung bean has a large market in Asia (India, Southeast-Asia and East Asia) and is also consumed in Southern Europe and in the Southern USA. Mung bean protein is considered safe as a novel food (NF) pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283. The consumption of mung bean varies depending on the geographic region. For instance, in India, mung bean is used in sweets, snacks and savoury items. In other parts of Asia, it is used in cakes, sprouts, noodles and soups. In Europe and America, it is mainly used as fresh bean sprouts. The consumption of mung beans as such in the US is in the order of 22–29 g/capita per year, while the consumption in some areas of Asia can be as high as 2 kg/capita per year. Mung bean is considered an alternative crop in many regions, which is generally preferable to sign a
contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tran ...
for the growing process before planting. In the US, the average price of mung bean is around $0.20 per pound. This is double the price of soybeans. The difference in production costs for mung bean and soybean is the post-harvest cleaning and/or transportation. Overall, mung bean is considered to have market potential for their
drought tolerance Drought tolerance is the ability to which a plant maintains its biomass production during arid or drought conditions. Some plants are naturally adapted to dry conditions'','' surviving with protection mechanisms such as desiccation tolerance, detox ...
, and they are a food crop and not a feed crop, which can help buffer the economic risk from variability in commodity crop prices for the farmers.


Uses


Nutritional value

Mung beans are recognized for their high nutritive value. Mung beans contain about 55%-65%
carbohydrate In organic chemistry, a carbohydrate () is a biomolecule consisting of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms, usually with a hydrogen–oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water) and thus with the empirical formula (where ''m'' may or ma ...
(equal to 630 g/kg dry weight) and are rich in
protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...
,
fat In nutrition science, nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such chemical compound, compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers spec ...
,
vitamin A vitamin is an organic molecule (or a set of molecules closely related chemically, i.e. vitamers) that is an Nutrient#Essential nutrients, essential micronutrient that an organism needs in small quantities for the proper functioning of its ...
s and minerals. It is composed of about 20%-50% protein of total dry weight, among which
globulin The globulins are a family of globular proteins that have higher molecular weights than albumins and are insoluble in pure water but dissolve in dilute salt solutions. Some globulins are produced in the liver, while others are made by the immune ...
(60%) and
albumin Albumin is a family of globular proteins, the most common of which are the serum albumins. All the proteins of the albumin family are water-soluble, moderately soluble in concentrated salt solutions, and experience heat denaturation. Albumins ...
(25%) are the primary storage proteins (see table). Mung bean is considered to be a substantive source of dietary
protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...
s. The proteolytic cleavage of these proteins are even higher during sprouting. Mung bean carbohydrates are easily digestible, which causes less
flatulence Flatulence, in humans, is the expulsion of gas from the intestines via the anus, commonly referred to as farting. "Flatus" is the medical word for gas generated in the stomach or bowels. A proportion of intestinal gas may be swallowed environm ...
in humans compared to other forms of legumes. Both seeds and sprouts of mung bean produce lower
calorie The calorie is a unit of energy. For historical reasons, two main definitions of "calorie" are in wide use. The large calorie, food calorie, or kilogram calorie was originally defined as the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of on ...
s compared to other cereals, which makes it more attractive to
obese Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's we ...
and
diabetic Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level (hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased app ...
individuals.


Whole beans and paste

Whole cooked mung beans are generally prepared from dried beans by boiling until they are soft. Mung beans are light yellow in colour when their skins are removed. Mung bean paste can be made by hulling, cooking, and pulverizing the beans to a dry paste.


South Asia

Although whole mung beans are also occasionally used in Indian cuisine, beans without skins are more commonly used. In
Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
,
Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
,
Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
,
Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
and
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
, whole mung beans are commonly boiled to make a dry preparation often served with
congee Congee or conjee ( ) is a type of rice porridge or gruel eaten in Asian countries. It can be eaten plain, where it is typically served with side dishes, or it can be served with ingredients such as meat, fish, seasonings and flavourings, most o ...
. Hulled mung beans can also be used in a similar fashion as whole beans for the purpose of making sweet soups. Mung beans in some regional cuisines of India are stripped of their outer coats to make mung ''
dal In Indian cuisine, ''dal'' (also spelled ''daal'' or ''dhal''; pronunciation: , Hindi: दाल, Urdu: ) are dried, split pulses (e.g., lentils, peas, and beans) that do not require soaking before cooking. India is the largest producer of p ...
''. In
Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
and
West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
the stripped and split bean is used to make a soup-like dal known as (). In the South Indian states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,
Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian subcontinent, Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India b ...
and
Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
, and also in Maharashtra, steamed whole beans are seasoned with spices and fresh grated coconut. In South India, especially Andhra Pradesh, batter made from ground whole moong beans (including skin) is used to make a variety of
dosa Dosa may refer to: People * Bogoljub Mitić Đoša, Serbian actor * Csaba Dosa (born 1951), Romanian athlete * Dosa ben Harkinas * Dosa ben Saadia (935 - 1018), Talmudic scholar and philosopher * Dosa or Dossa Júnior * Edward Dosa-Wea Neufville ...
called
pesarattu Pesarattu, pesara attu, pesara dosa (mung bean dosa), or cheeldo is a crepe-like bread, originating in Andhra Pradesh, India, that is a variety of dosa. It is made with green gram (''moong dal'') batter, but, unlike a typical dosa, it does not ...
or pesara dosa. File:Green Gram Dal ( খোসা সহ এবং খোসা ছাড়া মুগ ডাল).JPG, Green gram
dal In Indian cuisine, ''dal'' (also spelled ''daal'' or ''dhal''; pronunciation: , Hindi: दाल, Urdu: ) are dried, split pulses (e.g., lentils, peas, and beans) that do not require soaking before cooking. India is the largest producer of p ...
File:Mung Bean - Kolkata 2011-02-10 0975.JPG, Indian mung dal File:Mug pakon 05.jpg, Mung pakon, traditional Bengali
pitha Pithas are a variety of food similar to pancakes, dumplings or fritters, originating from the Indian subcontinent, common in Bangladesh and India. Pitha can be sweet or savoury, and usually made from a dough or batter, which is then steamed, fri ...
, Bangladesh.


East Asia

In southern Chinese cuisine, whole mung beans are used to make a , or dessert, called , which is served either warm or chilled. They are also often cooked with
rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...
to make congee. Unlike in
South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...
, whole mung beans seldom appear in savory dishes. In
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
, hulled mung beans and mung bean paste are made into
ice cream Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as str ...
or frozen
ice pop An ice pop is a liquid-based frozen snack on a stick. Unlike ice cream or sorbet, which are whipped while freezing to prevent ice crystal formation, an ice pop is "quiescently" frozen—frozen while at rest—and becomes a solid block of ice. ...
s. Mung bean paste is used as a common filling for Chinese
mooncakes A mooncake () is a Chinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節). The festival is about lunar appreciation and Moon watching, and mooncakes are regarded as a delicacy. Mooncakes are offered between ...
in
East China East China () is a geographical and a loosely defined cultural region that covers the eastern coastal area of China. A concept abolished in 1978, for economical purposes the region was defined from 1949 to 1961 by the Chinese Central Governme ...
and
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
. During the
Dragon Boat Festival The Dragon Boat Festival ( zh, s=端午节, t=端午節) is a traditional Chinese holiday which occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar, which corresponds to late May or June in the Gregorian calendar. Names The Engl ...
, the boiled and shelled beans are used as filling in
zongzi ''Zongzi'' (; ), ''rouzong'' () or simply ''zong'' (Cantonese Jyutping: ''zung2'') is a traditional Chinese rice dish made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves (generally of the species ''Indocalamus t ...
prepared for consumption. The beans may also be cooked until soft, blended into a liquid, sweetened, and served as a beverage, popular in many parts of China. In
South China South China () is a geographical and cultural region that covers the southernmost part of China. Its precise meaning varies with context. A notable feature of South China in comparison to the rest of China is that most of its citizens are not n ...
and
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
, mung bean paste may be mixed with sugar, fat, and fruits or spices to make pastries, such as
bánh đậu xanh Bánh đậu xanh (餅豆靑, mung bean pastry) is a type of bánh in Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine. It is a specialty of Hải Dương province. Lüdou gao (绿豆糕, mung bean pastry) and lüdou huang (綠豆黄) are two types of mung bean p ...
. In Korea, skinned mung beans are soaked and ground with some water to make a thick batter. This is used as a basis for the Korean pancakes called
bindae-tteok ''Bindae-tteok'' (), or mung bean pancake, is a type of ''buchimgae'' (Korean pancake) that originated in the Pyongan Province. * It is made by grinding soaked mung beans, adding vegetables and meat and pan-frying it into a round, flat shape. Et ...
. File:Frying bindae-tteok.jpg, Korean mung bean pancakes being cooked File:Green bean soup.jpg, Chinese mung bean soup from
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...


Southeast Asia

In the Philippines, '' ginisáng monggó/mónggo'' (sautéed mung bean stew), also known as ''monggó/mónggo guisado'' or ''balatong'', is a savoury stew of whole mung beans with prawns or fish. It is traditionally served on Fridays of
Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...
, when the majority of
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
Filipinos traditionally abstain from meat. Variants of ''ginisáng monggó/mónggo'' may also be made with chicken or pork. Mung beans are also used in the Filipino dessert ''
ginataang munggo ''Ginataang munggo'', also known as ''lelut balatung'' in pampanga or ''tinutungang munggo'', is a Filipino glutinous rice gruel dessert with toasted mung beans, coconut milk, and sugar. It is typically flavored with vanilla or pandan leave ...
'' (also known as ''balatong''), a
rice gruel Congee or conjee ( ) is a type of rice porridge or gruel eaten in Asian countries. It can be eaten plain, where it is typically served with side dishes, or it can be served with ingredients such as meat, fish, seasonings and flavourings, most o ...
with
coconut milk Coconut milk is an opaque, milky-white liquid extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of coconut milk are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food i ...
and
sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...
flavored with
pandan leaves ''Pandanus amaryllifolius'' is a tropical plant in the ''Pandanus'' (screwpine) genus, which is commonly known as pandan (; ). It has fragrant leaves which are used widely for flavouring in the cuisines of Southeast Asia and South Asia. Occurre ...
or
vanilla Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus ''Vanilla (genus), Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla (''Vanilla planifolia, V. planifolia''). Pollination is required to make the p ...
. Mung bean paste is also a common filling of pastries known as ''
bakpia Bakpia ( jv, ꦧꦏ꧀ꦥꦶꦪ, bakpia; - the name it is known by in Indonesia) or Hopia ( - the name it is known by in the Philippines) is a popular Indonesian and Philippine bean-filled moon cake-like pastry originally introduced by Fujiane ...
'' in Indonesia and ''hopia'' the Philippines, and further afield in
Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
(where it is known as "black eye cake"). It is also used as a filling for ''
pan de monggo Pan de monggo, also known as monggo bread, is a Filipino bread with a distinctive filling made from mung bean or adzuki bean paste. The bread used can come in a wide variety of shapes and recipes, ranging from buns, to ensaymada-like rolls, t ...
'', a Filipino bread. In Indonesia, mung beans are also made into a popular dessert snack called ''
es kacang hijau Bubur kacang hijau, abbreviated burjo, is a Southeast Asian sweet porridge (''bubur'') made from mung beans (''kacang hijau''), coconut milk, and palm sugar or cane sugar. The beans are boiled till soft, and sugar and coconut milk are added. ...
'', which has the consistency of a
porridge Porridge is a food made by heating or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, (dried) fruit or syrup to make a sweet cereal, ...
. The beans are cooked with sugar, coconut milk, and a little ginger. File:Monggojf.JPG, Filipino ''
ginisang monggo Ginisang munggo is a Filipino savory mung bean soup. It is made with mung beans, garlic, tomatoes, onions, various vegetables, and '' patis'' (fish sauce). It is cooked with pork, ''tinapa'' (smoked fish), '' daing'' (dried fish), or other seafo ...
'' with
ampalaya ''Momordica charantia'' (commonly called bitter melon; Goya; bitter apple; bitter gourd; bitter squash; balsam-pear; with many more names listed below) is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, widely grown in Asia, Afr ...
and shrimp File:Ginataang munggo.jpg, Filipino ''
ginataang munggo ''Ginataang munggo'', also known as ''lelut balatung'' in pampanga or ''tinutungang munggo'', is a Filipino glutinous rice gruel dessert with toasted mung beans, coconut milk, and sugar. It is typically flavored with vanilla or pandan leave ...
'', a sweet rice gruel with mung beans and coconut milk, sugar, and
pandan leaf ''Pandanus amaryllifolius'' is a tropical plant in the ''Pandanus'' (screwpine) genus, which is commonly known as pandan (; ). It has fragrant leaves which are used widely for flavouring in the cuisines of Southeast Asia and South Asia. Occurre ...
extract File:HopiaInASaucer.jpg, Filipino ''
hopia ''Hopia obtusa'' is a species of grass commonly known as vine mesquite. This plant was treated as ''Panicum obtusum'' until recently when more molecular and genetic material revealed new information about it. ''Hopia obtusa'' is now placed in th ...
'' filled with mung bean paste File:Bubur Kacang Hijau Ketan Hitam.JPG, Indonesian ''
bubur kacang hijau Bubur kacang hijau, abbreviated burjo, is a Southeast Asian sweet porridge (''bubur'') made from mung beans (''kacang hijau''), coconut milk, and palm sugar or cane sugar. The beans are boiled till soft, and sugar and coconut milk are added. Sli ...
'', made with mung beans in coconut milk and sugar


Middle East

A staple diet in some parts of the Middle East is mung beans and rice. Both are cooked together in a
pilaf Pilaf ( US spelling) or pilau ( UK spelling) is a rice dish, or in some regions, a wheat dish, whose recipe usually involves cooking in stock or broth, adding spices, and other ingredients such as vegetables or meat, and employing some techniq ...
-like rice dish called , which means mung beans and rice.


Bean sprouts

Mung beans are germinated by leaving them in water for four hours of daytime light and spending the rest of the day in the dark. Mung bean sprouts can be grown under artificial light for four hours over the period of a week. They are usually simply called "bean sprouts". However, when bean sprouts are called for in recipes, it generally refers to mung bean or soybean sprouts. Mung bean sprouts are
stir-fried Stir frying () is a cooking technique in which ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred or tossed in a wok. The technique originated in China and in recent centuries has spread into other parts of Asia and th ...
as a
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
vegetable accompaniment to a meal, usually with
garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...
,
ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices ...
,
spring onions Scallions (also known as spring onions or green onions) are vegetables derived from various species in the genus ''Allium''. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions and their close relatives include garlic, shallot, leek, chi ...
, or pieces of salted dried fish to add flavour. Uncooked bean sprouts are used in filling for
Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...
spring roll Spring rolls are rolled appetizers or dim sum commonly found in Chinese and other Southeast Asian cuisines. The kind of wrapper, fillings, and cooking technique used, as well as the name, vary considerably within this large area, depending o ...
s, as well as a garnish for ''
phở Phở or pho (, , ; ) is a Vietnamese soup dish consisting of broth, rice noodles (), herbs, and meat (usually beef (), sometimes chicken ()). Phở is a popular food in Vietnam where it is served in households, street stalls and restaurants co ...
''. They are a major ingredient in a variety of
Malaysian Malaysian may refer to: * Something from or related to Malaysia, a country in Southeast Asia * Malaysian Malay, a dialect of Malay language spoken mainly in Malaysia * Malaysian people, people who are identified with the country of Malaysia regard ...
and
Peranakan cuisine Peranakan cuisine or Nyonya cuisine comes from the Peranakans, descendants of early Chinese migrants who settled in Penang, Malacca, Singapore and Indonesia, inter-marrying with local Malays. In Baba Malay, a female Peranakan is known as a ...
, including ''
char kway teow ''Char kway teow'' () is a stir-fried rice noodle dish from Maritime Southeast Asia and is of southern Chinese origin. In Hokkien and Teochew, ''char'' means 'stir-fried' and ''kway teow'' refers to flat rice noodles. It is made from flat r ...
'', ''
hokkien mee Hokkien mee, literally "Fujian noodles", is a series of related Southeast Asian dishes that have their origins in the cuisine of China's Fujian (Hokkien) province. Types ''Hokkien mee'' can refer to four distinct dishes, with each being ubi ...
'', ''
mee rebus Mee rebus, also known as mie rebus/mi rebus in Indonesian spelling, is a Maritime Southeast Asian noodle soup dish. Literally translated as "boiled noodles", it is popular in Maritime Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, an ...
'', and '' pasembor''. In Korea, slightly cooked mung bean sprouts, called ''
sukjunamul Mung bean sprouts are a culinary vegetable grown by sprouting mung beans. They can be grown by placing and watering the sprouted beans in the shade until the hypocotyls grow long. Mung bean sprouts are extensively cultivated and consumed in Eas ...
'' (), are often served as a side dish. They are blanched (placed into boiling water for less than a minute), immediately cooled in cold water, and mixed with sesame oil, garlic, salt, and often other ingredients. In the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
, mung bean sprouts are called ''togue'' and are most commonly used in ''
lumpia ''Lumpia'' are various types of spring rolls commonly found in the Philippines and Indonesia. Lumpia are made of thin paper-like or crepe-like pastry skin called "lumpia wrapper" enveloping savory or sweet fillings. It is often served as an ap ...
'' rolls called '' lumpiang togue''. In India, mung bean sprouts are cooked with green chili, garlic, and other spices. In
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
the food are often used as fillings like ''tahu isi'' (stuffed tofu) and complementary ingredient in many dishes such as ''
rawon Rawon ( Javanese: ) is an Indonesian beef soup. Originating from East Java, rawon utilizes the black keluak nut as the main seasoning, which gives a dark color and nutty flavor to the soup. Ingredients The soup is composed of a ground mix ...
'' and '' soto''. In
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, the sprouts are called moyashi.


Starch

Mung bean
starch Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diets ...
, which is extracted from ground mung beans, is used to make transparent
cellophane noodles Cellophane noodles, or fensi (), sometimes called glass noodles, are a type of transparent noodle made from starch (such as mung bean starch, potato starch, sweet potato starch, tapioca, or canna starch) and water. A stabilizer such as chitosan ...
(also known as bean thread noodles, bean threads, glass noodles, ''fensi'' (), ''tung hoon'' (), , , or ). Cellophane noodles become soft and slippery when they are soaked in hot water. A variation of cellophane noodles, called mung bean sheets or green bean sheets, are also available. In Korea, a jelly called ''
nokdumuk ''Nokdu-muk'' (, 綠豆- ; "mung bean jelly",) is a Korean '' muk'', or jelly, made from mung bean starch. In its most commonly encountered form, it is also called ''cheongpo-muk'' (, 淸泡-), which literally means "clear froth jelly," owing to ...
'' (; also called ''cheongpomuk'', ) is made from mung bean starch; a similar jelly, colored yellow with the addition of
gardenia ''Gardenia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the coffee family, Rubiaceae, native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, Madagascar and Pacific Islands, and Australia. The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus and John Ellis aft ...
coloring, is called ''
hwangpomuk ''Nokdu-muk'' (, 綠豆- ; "mung bean jelly",) is a Korean '' muk'', or jelly, made from mung bean starch. In its most commonly encountered form, it is also called ''cheongpo-muk'' (, 淸泡-), which literally means "clear froth jelly," owing to ...
'' (). In northern China, mung bean jelly is called ''
liangfen ''Liangfen'' (), also spelled ''liang fen'', is a Chinese legume dish consisting of starch jelly that is usually served cold, with a savory sauce, often in the summer.Wilson, Ernest Henry; Sargent,Charles Sprague. (1914''A naturalist in western C ...
'' (), which is a very popular food during summer. The
Hokkiens The Hoklo people or Hokkien people () are a Han Chinese (also Han Taiwanese) subgroup who speak Hokkien, a Southern Min language, or trace their ancestry to Southeastern Fujian, China and known by various endonyms or other related terms such a ...
add sugar to mung bean jelly to make it a dessert called '' Lio̍k-tāu hún-kóe'' ().


Plant-based protein

Mung beans are increasingly used in plant-based meat and egg alternatives such as
Beyond Meat Beyond Meat, Inc. is a Los Angeles–based producer of plant-based meat substitutes founded in 2009 by Ethan Brown. The company's initial products were launched in the United States in 2012. History Founding Ethan Brown founded the company in ...
and
Eat Just Eat Just, Inc. is a private company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It develops and markets plant-based alternatives to conventionally produced egg products and cultivated meat products. Eat Just was founded in 2011 by Josh Tetric ...
's Just Egg.


History of domestication and cultivation

The mung bean was domesticated in
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, where its progenitor (''Vigna radiata'' subspecies ''sublobata'') occurs wild. Carbonized mung beans have been discovered in many archeological sites in India. Areas with early finds include the eastern zone of the
Harappan civilisation The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 BCE to 1900&n ...
in modern-day Pakistan and western- and northwestern
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, where finds date back about 4,500 years, and
South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...
in the modern state of
Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
where finds date back more than 4,000 years. Some scholars, therefore, infer two separate domestications in the northwest and south of India. In South India, there is evidence for the evolution of larger-seeded mung beans 3,500 to 3,000 years ago. By about 3500 years ago mung beans were widely cultivated throughout India. Cultivated mung beans later spread from India to China and Southeast Asia. Archaeobotanical research at the site of Khao Sam Kaeo in southern Thailand indicates that mung beans had arrived in Thailand by at least 2,200 years ago.


In popular culture

Creed Bratton Creed Bratton (born William Charles Schneider, February 8, 1943) is an American actor, singer and musician. A former member of the rock band the Grass Roots, he is best known for playing a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom ''T ...
on the US sitcom ''
The Office ''The Office'' is a mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, first made in the United Kingdom, then Germany, and subsequently the United States. It has since been remade in ten other countries. The original series of ...
'' sprouted mung beans in a drawer of his desk, noting how they are "very nutritious, but smell like death".


See also

*
Black bean paste Black bean paste, commonly called ''dòushā'' () or ''hēidòushā'' (), is a sweet bean paste often used as a filling in cakes such as mooncakes or '' doushabao'' in many Chinese and Taiwanese cuisines. Black bean paste is made from pulverized ...
* ''
Douzhi ''Douzhi'' (; also called ''mung bean milk'') is a fermented dish from Beijing cuisine. It is similar to soy milk, but made from mung beans. It is a by-product of cellophane noodle production. It is generally slightly sour, with an egg An ...
'' *
Mung bean nuclease Mung bean nuclease (Nuclease MB) is a nuclease derived from sprouts of the mung bean (''Vigna radiata'') that removes nucleotides in a step-wise manner from single-stranded DNA molecules (ssDNA) and is used in biotechnological applications to re ...
*
Mungbean yellow mosaic virus ''Mungbean yellow mosaic virus'' (MYMV) is a plant pathogenic virus of the family ''Geminiviridae''. Of the various viral diseases inflicting legume crops, Mungbean Yellow Mosaic disease is one of the most destructive and widely distributed. The ...


References


External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q484447 Articles containing video clips Edible legumes Edible thickening agents Plants described in 1753 Vigna Food paste Crops originating from Asia