Characterization of protein and fat composition of seeds from common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) and bambara groundnuts (Vigna subterranea L. Verdc) from Mozambique

Abstract

FAO formally declared 2016 as the “International Year of Pulses” to raise awareness about these important crops, which are essential for sustainable agriculture and nutrition. Meanwhile, local pulse varieties are mainly confined to biorepositories and scarcely characterized concerning their nutritional composition, although it can differ due to the genetic variability. This work describes the characterization of 26 accessions of pulse seeds from the germplasm bank of Mozambique, including 15 common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), 9 cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) and 2 bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea L. Verdc). Inter-accession variation on protein and fat composition was observed within each pulse species. Though it is widely recognized that pulses amino acids composition is not balanced for human nutrition, results revealed that three accessions of common beans and one accession of cowpea presented chemical scores near to the internationally accepted pattern for amino acids. Common beans presented the lowest fat content and the lowest ratios of SFA/(MUFA + PUFA) and linoleic acid/α-linolenic acid, when compared with cowpea and particularly with bambara groundnut, with a distinct fatty acid PUFA pattern. Concerning tocopherols and tocotrienols profile (α, β, γ, δ), cowpea accessions were richer than others, especially δ-tocopherol. This characterization of local pulse resources from Mozambique may contribute to the valorization of accessions with the most interesting nutritional profile.