Antioxidant Potential of Pea Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

ABSTRACT: Four bean varieties ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) (white kidney, red pinto, Swedish brown, and black kidney) and their hull fractions were extracted with 80% acetone and evaluated for their phenolic contents and antiradical activities. Total phenolic content of bean hulls and whole seed extracts ranged from 6.7 to 270 and 4.9 to 93.6 mg/g extract as catechin equivalents, respectively. Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assay revealed that the antioxidant capacity of red, brown, and black whole seed extracts was in the same order of magnitude with little variation. TEAC values of red and brown whole seed extracts were superior to that of black whole seed extract. On the basis of the total phenolic content and TEAC values, it can be deduced that colored beans possess superior antioxidative activity compared with white beans. The hydrogen peroxide scavenging capacity of different bean extracts ranged from 58% to 67% at 50 ppm and 65% to 76% at 100 ppm. The corresponding superoxide radical scavenging capacity was 24% to 29% at 50 ppm and 53% to 60% at 100 ppm. The 2,2–diphenyl-1–picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity of black bean whole seed extracts was 22% at 50 ppm, whereas the other extracts showed 100% scavenging of this radical at both 50 and 100 ppm levels. The hydroxyl radical scavenging capacities of the bean extracts at 50 and 100 ppm were 12% to 29% and 32% to 49%, respectively. All extracts used prevented human low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol oxidation by 61.4% to 99.9% at 2 to 50 ppm level as catechin equivalents.     

Phytate Reduction in Brown Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Brown beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were subjected to treatments to evaluate effects of pH, temperature, CaCl₂, tannase and fermentation on degradation of phytate. Soaking was performed at 21°C, 37°C and 55°C at pH 4.0, 6.0, 6.4, 7.0, and 8.0. Optimal conditions for phytate degradation were pH 7.0 and 55°C. After soaking 4, 8 or 17 hr at these conditions 79%, 87% and 98% of phytate was degraded, respectively. Addition of tannase enhanced reduction of phytate. Fermentation of presoaked whole beans resulted in reduction of 88% of phytate after 48 hr.     

Hydration Kinetics of Red Kidney Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Soaking of dry red kidney beans was studied at 20, 30 40 and 60°C by the method of weight gain until equilibrium conditions were attained. Water absorbed during soaking was a function of both soaking time and temperature. Soaking at high temperatures increased the hydration rate constant and decreased soaking time to achieve equilibrium. Compared to unblanched beans, the application of a pre-blanching step considerably reduced hydration times of blanched beans. Due to the plasticity effect acquired upon blanching, blanched beans showed a significantly high hydration rate constant and exhibited a more constant equilibrium moisture content regardless of soaking temperature. Activation energy values (E_a) of the hydration process were 6.48 Kcal/mole for blanched and 14.25 for unblanched beans.     

Microwave-assisted extraction of phenolics from bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Phenolic phytochemicals are associated with many health benefits, and it would be useful to develop improved methods for their extraction from bean. In this work, we showed that microwave-assisted extraction was an effective method. Eight bean types important in the Northarvest region of North America, which includes North Dakota and Minnesota, were chosen for this study. Four temperatures (25, 50, 100 and 150 °C) and three solvents (water, 50% ethanol in water and 100% ethanol) were investigated. As expected, colored beans contained higher concentrations of extractable phenolics, and in most cases the concentration of phenolics was much higher in the hull (testa) than in the cotyledon. Extraction efficiency was superior at higher extraction temperatures. The most effective extraction was achieved at a temperature of 150 °C using 50% ethanol. Total phenolics contents determined by microwave-assisted extraction with water at 100 °C were two to three times those determined by conventional extraction with water at the same temperature.     

Sensory and Instrumental Texture of Snap Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

A recent study aimed to establish the correlation between instrumental (using Stable Micro System Texture Analyzer) and sensory texture analyses assays in snap bean pods (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). The rupture force correlated significantly and negatively with the sensory traits: parchment layer free, crispness, and stringlessness. Firmness measurements of the raw pods by the texture analyzer indirectly gave enough information to use it as a tool for sensory texture analyses of the processed beans. This could allow breeders to evaluate textural quality of cooked pods in the early stages of the breeding and selection program, thus saving time and costs in doing sensory texture analysis.     

Solubilization of California Small White Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Proteins

California Small White beans contained 25.90% crude protein on dry weight basis. Albumins accounted for 11.30% of the total crude proteins. Alkali (1N NaOH) extractable proteins had an isoelectric pH of about 4.0. About 88% of the total crude proteins were recovered employing acid/alkali extraction. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analyses indicated that the acid soluble proteins were comprised of at least five components whereas the alkali soluble proteins consisted of at least two components.     

Effect of cooking on the composition of beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.)

The effect of cooking on levels of nutrients and anti-nutritional factors in beans and chickpeas was investigated. Significant (p < 0.05) variation existed among the beans and chickpeas with respect to their crude protein, starch, soluble dietary fiber (SDF), insoluble dietary fiber (IDF), total dietary fiber (TDF), resistant starch (RS), trypsin inhibitor activity (TIA), mineral, phytic acid, tannin, sucrose and oligosaccharide (raffinose, stachyose and verbascose) contents. Cooking beans and chickpeas in water significantly increased protein, starch, SDF, IDF, TDF, Mn and P contents (on a dry weight basis), whereas reduced ash, K, Mg, TIA, tannin, sucrose and oligosaccharide contents were observed. Colored beans (black, cranberry, dark red kidney, pinto and small red bean) contained tannins, whereas little tannin in white-colored beans (great northern and white pea bean) and chickpeas (Desi and Kabuli type) was detected.     

Nutritional and Health Perspectives of Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.): An Overview

Beans, the variants of Phaseolus vulagris, are nutritionally and economically important food crop in each part of the world. Besides providing nutrients such as multifaceted carbohydrates, elevated proteins, dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins, these also contain rich variety of polyphenolic compounds with prospective health benefits. This review mainly focuses the important nutritional aspects of beans as well as their contribution in decreasing the risks of chronically degenerative diseases.     

Fermentation of the Great Northern Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and Rice Blends

Black gram (Phaseolus mungo) cotyledons could be substituted by the Great Northern bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) whole seeds in preparation of idli. The products prepared from conventional blend (black gram:rice :: 1:1 w/w) and the Great Northern bean-rice blend (1:2 w/w) were comparable. The latter had somewhat different flavor and a sticky top surface. Physicochemical changes in the Great Northern bean-rice blends (1:l and 1:2 w/w) paralleled each other while those in the fermentation of the beans alone differed from both the blends. No significant hydrolysis was observed in the major proteins in all the batters studied in 45 hr fermentation. Scanning electron microscopic observations indicated that starch granules were resistant to both, the fermentation and steaming.     

Solubilization and Electrophoretic Characterization of the Great Northern Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Proteins

Protein content of dry beans (Phaseiolus vulguris L.) cultivar Great Northern, was 26.10% (dry weight basis). The isoelectirc pH of the NaCl extractable proteins was about 4.4. Several salts, NaOH, and HCl were employed to solubilize the Great Northern bean proteins. Amongst all the protein solubilizing agents, Na₂CO₃, K₂SO₄, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and NaOH at respective concentrations of 0.5, 5, 5% (all w/v), and 0.02N were found to be better protein solubilizers than the rest; solubilizing 93.6g of Lowry protein per 100g of Kjeldahl protein. Albumins and globulins accounted for 21.18 and 73.40% respectively, of the total bean proteins. Protein content of albumins, globulins, protein concentrates, and protein isolates was 81.68, 92.26, 85.44, and 92.43% (dry weight basis) respectively. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) of the bean flour, albumins, globulins, protein concentrates, and protein isolates revealed the presence of 22, 14, 10, 14, and 11 subunits, respectively. The bean flour, albumin's, globulins, protein concentrates and protein isolates were characterized by the predominance of subunits with apparent molecular weights of 294,000, 266,000, 123,000, 146,000, and 135,000 daltons, respectively. Isoelectric focusing of the bean flour, albumins, globulins, protein concentrates, and protein isolates indicated 15, 13, 15, 16, and 11 subunits, respectively. Molecular sieve chromatography of the bean flour proteins, albumins, and globulins followed by SDS-PAGE was also employed to study the complexities of these proteins.     

Differentiating the Lectin Activity in Twenty-Four Cultivars of Dry Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Hemagglutination activity of 24 cultivars of dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) was estimated with rabbit, rat, bovine, and human erythrocytes. Net protein utilization (NPU) evaluated the nutritional toxicity to weanling rats of the beans fed at 10% protein. Nonprotein and 10%-casein control diets were included. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicated lectin-containing beans. Beans evaluated (in or-der of decreasing lectin activity) were: Aurora, Sanilac, Royal Red, Red Kloud, Roza, Rufus, Harris, Viva, Fiesta, Black Turtle Soup, Chief, Hyden, UI-59, Sutter; (nontoxic): Blue Mountain, GN-1140, Holberg, Nodak, Olathe, Pindak, JM-126, NW-410, NW-590, UI-114. This study shows that combined hemagglutination tests and SDSPAGE enable rapid screening of dry beans for toxic lectins.     

Protein isolates rich in methionine from the edible dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Several extraction and fractionation schemes were investigated for their ability to fractionate edible dry bean seed proteins into classes of variable methionine content. Isoelectric precipitation or dialysis from a protein solution of low ionic strength resulted in protein isolates having methionine content equal to or lower than the average seed methionine. A protein isolate rich in methionine was obtained by the adjustment of a high ionic strength protein solution at pH 4.1. This methodology excluded the major storage seed proteins, which are known for their low methionine content.     

Dehulling and selected physical characteristics of Canadian dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivars

The tangential abrasive dehulling device (TADD) was used to evaluate the dehulling properties of 13 dry bean cultivars from five market classes. Hull yield or percent kernel removed was cultivar dependent and increased linearly (r² ? 0.984) as dehulling time increased from 30 to 120 s. Hull yield was significantly different within cultivars of great northern and pink bean market classes and there were no significant (p < 0.05) differences within black and pinto bean cultivars. Bean cultivars differed significantly in dehulling parameters–rate coefficient (RC) and abrasive hardness index (AHI), although the differences were small. Cluster analysis, based on dehulling parameters, segregated the cultivars into three major groups; AC Black Violet, AC Black Diamond, CDC Jet, and subgroup AC Resolute and AC Agrinto (AHI, 12.7–14.9 s); Othello, AC Early Rose and AC Polaris and the subgroup CDC Minto and Winchester (AHI, 11.7–12.5 s); and AC Redbond and Viva (AHI < 11 s). Black beans were the hardest to dehull since the longest time (928 s) was required to completely remove the hulls by abrading on average, 50 g/100 g seed. Multiple regression analysis showed that dehulling parameters were not related to any seed characteristics, although seed length, width, thickness and weight were highly correlated (r² ? 0.786, p < 0.005).     

Physiological traits related to terminal drought resistance in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

BACKGROUND: A major problem in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) agriculture is the low yield due to terminal drought. Because common beans are grown over a broad variety of environments, the study of drought‐resistant genotypes might be useful to identify distinctive or common mechanisms needed for survival and seed production under drought. RESULTS: In this study the relationship between terminal drought resistance and some physiological parameters was analysed using cultivars contrasting in their drought response from two different gene pools. Trials were performed in three environments. As expected, drought treatments induced a decrease in leaf relative humidity and an increase in leaf temperature; however, when these parameters were compared between susceptible and resistant cultivars under optimal irrigation and drought, no significant differences were detected. Similar results were obtained for chlorophyll content. In contrast, analysis of relative water content (RWC) and stomatal conductance values showed reproducible significant differences between susceptible and resistant cultivars grown under optimal irrigation and drought across the different environments. CONCLUSIONS: The data indicate that drought‐resistant cultivars maximise carbon uptake and limit water loss upon drought by increasing stomatal closure during the day and attaining a higher RWC during the night as compared with susceptible cultivars, suggesting a water balance fine control to achieve enough yield under drought. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry