AbstractA study on the digestibility of legume carbohydrates in unprocessed and processed grain and also in the starch isolated from the grain was carried out byin vitroandin vivomethods. The legumes selected were red gram (Cajanus cajancv. Hyd. 3A), Bengal gram (Cicer arietinumcv. BEG 482), black gram (Phaseolus mungocv. T9) and green gram (Phaseolus aureuscv. PS 16). The processes tested were boiling, pressure cooking, roasting, germination, fermentation and parching. The digestibilityin vitrowas assessed on the basis of maltose released after amylolysis and digestibilityin vivowas assessed on the basis of carbohydrate intake and excretion. Digestibilities of thePhaseolusvarieties were superior to red gram and Bengal gram. Roasting did not improve the digestibility of any legume as much as boiling and pressure cooking. The digestibility of fermented and germinated legumes was not much higher than the legumes processed by other methods. The increasing order of digestibilityin vivowas red gram