To investigate characterization of the -amylase inhibitors from cereals and legumes produced in Korea, inhibitory activities against -amylase with the inhibitor from barley(Hordeum vulgare), wheat(Triticum aestivun), black bean(Glycine max), bean(Cajanus cajon) and pea(Pisum sativum) were measured. Among the samples tested, inhibitors from naked barley and black bean(sabong) which showed the highest inhibitor activities of cereals and legumes, respectively, were characterized according to treatment condition. The results obtained were summarized as follows. During the germination of naked barley and black bean, -amylase activities were gradually increased but inhibitory activities against -amylases were decreased. Both activities were gradually decreased when naked barley and black bean were stored. More than 50% of activities of the inhibitors from naked barley and black bean were remained at 100 for 15 min and 20 min, respectively, indicating that the inhibitor from black bean was more stable to heat than that of barley.

Environmental stresses during culture of food legumes can be classified to the three categories; the climatic stresses, pests, and public pollution. Of the researches on the climatic stresses in Korea, drought injury and lodging injury were studied more comparing with excess water injury, cooling injury, wind injury, frost injury and hail injury. Although many researches have been done on the pests, mainly on the control of pests, a few researches have been done on the basic research. Recently public pollution is considered one of major stresses during culture of crops following rapid development of industry in Korea. A few researches have been done on the air pollution and acid rain. Therefore many researches should do on the environmental stresses during culture of food legumes in the future.