Chapter 31 - Antioxidant Activity of Anthocyanins in Common Legume Grains

Abstract

Legumes have long been consumed as rich sources of protein in human diets all over the world. Usually, people consume legumes in various cooked forms (boiled, fermented, fried) and they are served as either main or side dishes. In addition, legumes are also popular to be eaten as a snack (e.g., peanuts, soybeans) in many Asian and African countries. Legumes are plants belonging to the family Leguminoceae. Among many, soybean, peanut, pea, common bean, lentil, lupin, mesquite, carob, alfalfa, and clover are several examples of the best-known and most-consumed legumes in the world. Recently, recommendations to increase the consumption of legumes have been widely promoted based on many chemical, biochemical, clinical, and epidemiological studies which show that there are positive correlations between consuming legumes and decreasing the incidence of various degenerative diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and obesity. The ability of legumes to reduce the incidence of such diseases is believed to be attributed to biologically active compounds in legume grains. Among others, phenolic constituents including anthocyanins have been deeply explored in relation to their health-promoting properties. Therefore, in addition to their high nutrient profile, legumes are also rich sources of bioactive compounds, especially phenolics; recent research studies are comprehensively focusing on the role of phenolic constituents such as anthocyanin as antioxidants in human diet and their role in promoting human health, as well as in preventing the incidence of various diseases. The increased rate of degenerative diseases has been investigated by numerous researchers who have suggested that factors such as unhealthy lifestyle, unbalanced diet patterns, and pollution are responsible as the trigger for incidence of degenerative diseases. One of these diseases is coronary heart disease, which is seen as the number one killer in the world. Changes in diet patterns, with more vegetables and legumes and less meat, are believed to have a favorable impact on human health and could decrease the risk of coronary heart disease, as well as other diseases.