Abstract
While extensive research has been performed on the composition and cooking quality of commodity beans, relatively little is known about pigmented heirloom varieties and the effects of processing on their antioxidant capacity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of soaking and cooking on antioxidants in four heirloom bean varieties compared to Pinto. Water absorption kinetics, soaking and cooking time, DPPH radical scavenging activity, and total phenolic and total flavonoid content were determined in raw, soaked, and cooked samples. Heirlooms required less time to hydrate compared to Pinto, whereas cooking times were similar. The effect of soaking on antioxidant capacity and flavonoids was minimal compared to cooking, which led to losses of up to 57%. Each pigmented heirloom bean had specific characteristics, and three of them had equal or higher amounts of antioxidants or antioxidant activity than Pinto at every processing step. Among heirlooms, Koronis Purple and Jacob’s Cattle had the highest antioxidant activity and Jacob’s Cattle and Tiger’s Eye the highest amount of flavonoids, even after cooking.
Highlights
Common dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) are an important class of legumes based on their accessibility, nutritional content, and low cost
Consumers are increasingly seeking out heirloom crop varieties as a representation of small-scale, sustainable food production. e emergence of heirloom crop varieties is a direct result of changing socioeconomic trends that have brought new attention to sustainable food production with regards to land usage and fertilizer consumption [1]
Most existing research on heirloom beans has been from an agricultural standpoint, and studies on the postharvest performance of heirlooms are relatively scarce
Summary
Common dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) are an important class of legumes based on their accessibility, nutritional content (i.e., high amounts of protein, ber, and slowly digestible starch), and low cost. Consumers are increasingly seeking out heirloom crop varieties as a representation of small-scale, sustainable food production. E emergence of heirloom crop varieties is a direct result of changing socioeconomic trends that have brought new attention to sustainable food production with regards to land usage and fertilizer consumption [1]. Recent studies [2,3,4] have begun to select heirloom varieties based on agronomic performance including productivity and water usage. Miles et al [5] have investigated cooking time in relation to growing practices, few studies have characterized heirloom beans for their nutritional value and functionality as an ingredient. Garretson and Marti [6] investigated the chemical composition of four varieties of pigmented heirloom beans in comparison with Pinto, mainly focusing on starch properties. Garretson and Marti [6] investigated the chemical composition of four varieties of pigmented heirloom beans in comparison with Pinto, mainly focusing on starch properties. e unique seed coat pigmentation di erentiates heirloom varieties from their commodity counterparts and makes them an appealing source of bioactive compounds
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