Abstract
Beans (Phaseolus spp.) are one of the most important legumes for their nutritional value and health benefits in many world regions. In addition to Phaseolus vulgaris, there are four additional species that are cultivated in many regions of the world and are a source of food for human consumption: P. lunatus, P. coccineus, P. polyanthus, and P. acutifolius. In this work, phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, and anti-nutritional compounds of 18 bean accessions, corresponding to four different species of the genus Phaseolus, were analyzed. In addition, their physical characteristics, proximate composition, and amino acid content were determined in order to compare their phytochemical composition and nutritional value. The species closest to each other in terms of essential amino acid content were P. polyanthus with P. vulgaris and P. lunatus with P. coccineus. Furthermore, there was a strong positive correlation between antioxidant activity and flavonoids, anthocyanins, and lectins with all the accessions collected. Significant differences in the content of phenolic compounds were found among the bean species studied. Therefore, in addition to P. vulgaris, other species such as P. coccineus and P. lunatus have high biological and antioxidant potential that could be beneficial to human health when consumed as nutraceutical foods.
Highlights
Beans (Phaseolus spp.) belong to the legume family (Fabaceae), along with peas (Pisum sativum L.), soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merril), and lentils (Lens culinaris Medik)
The results showed a positive correlation (r = 0.97) between lectins and antioxidant activity (DPPH assay), where accessions CH-16 (P. coccineus) and CH-12 (P. vulgaris) presented the lowest and highest contents, respectively
A strong correlation was obtained between the antioxidant activity (DPPH)
Summary
Beans (Phaseolus spp.) belong to the legume family (Fabaceae), along with peas (Pisum sativum L.), soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merril), and lentils (Lens culinaris Medik). Beans are the most important legume and are consumed by approximately 300 million people. They are considered the second source of protein in East and Southeast Africa and the fourth source in America [1]. In Mexico alone, there are approximately 65 species, 52 of which belong to the Phaseolus genus, and 31 species are endemic [2]. The largest number of species are distributed in Western Mexico, with P. vulgaris being the most studied species. Different studies have quantified the content of phytochemicals in some varieties of P. vulgaris, such as: Total phenols, anthocyanins, tannins, flavonoids, lectins, phytic acid, and oligosaccharides [3,4]
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