Search Results (37)

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris, L.) is the most widely consumed grain legume globally. The seeds of common bean are a rich source of protein, but one of the seeds’ storage proteins is phytohemagglutinin (PHA), a lectin whose consumption in raw or inadequately cooked bean seed or products into which the seed is milled results in acute symptoms of food poisoning. Given that demand for incorporating common bean ingredients into foods is expanding, there has been a call for regulatory agencies to formulate more robust guidance on allowable levels of active PHA in beans and bean ingredients and for establishing standardized methodology for measuring active PHA. Herein, detailed protocols are provided for extraction of PHA from beans and for the use of digital image analysis in the traditional hemagglutination assay. Results are compared to an ELISA assay. Given reports that ingestion of four to five soaked raw dark red kidney bean (DRK) seeds can induce food poisoning, our focus was on this market class of bean. By ELISA assay, estimated concentration of active lectin in DRK was 223 ± 0.07 mg/g dry weight and the total amount of PHA contained in four seeds was 544 mg. Commercially cooked canned beans had >99% reduction in PHA (4.9 µg/g dry weight). Consumption of an entire can (1.5 cups, equivalent to 94 g dry matter) would equal 0.46 mg PHA which is approximately 1000-fold lower than the amount estimated to be associated with food poisoning. It is hoped that this report stimulates continued interest in standardizing methodology across laboratories and in setting standards of identity for active PHA in bean products. Full article

Drought is a significant abiotic stressor affecting crops globally. Beneficial microorganisms, such as rhizobia, have been shown to enhance crop resilience to such stresses. In this study, we isolated a highly efficient rhizobacterial strain (Rhizobium sp. PV-6) from the root system of Phaseolus vulgaris and systematically investigated the phenotypic and physiological responses of the plants across seven growth stages under four treatments: W-NO (watering without inoculation of rhizobium), W-RHI (watering with inoculation of rhizobium), D-NO (drought without inoculation of rhizobium), and D-RHI (drought with inoculation of rhizobium). We also examined the variation in microbial communities in rhizosphere and root compartments. Physiological analyses revealed that rhizobium inoculation significantly enhanced plant height, fresh weight and dry weight, root length, lateral root number, and nodule number of red kidney beans. Alpha diversity analysis suggested that the microbial communities in the roots and rhizosphere of red kidney beans show different variant distributions. Beta diversity and species difference analysis revealed that drought treatments (D-NO, D-RHI) recruit Shinella, Nocardioides, Agromyces, Pseudomonas, and Ensifer at rhizosphere compartments, while D-RHI enrich Pseudomonas, Sphingobacterium, Paenibacillus, Bacillus, Massilia, and Lysobacter at root compartments in the T5 stage. Further, transcriptomic analysis revealed that PV-6 enhances drought tolerance in red kidney beans by modulating the expression of genes associated with abiotic stress-related genes. Our findings highlight the potential of Rhizobium sp. PV-6 as a bioinoculant for improving drought tolerance in red kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), providing a foundation for designing synthetic microbial communities for crop stress resilience. Full article

The long-term monocropping of red kidney beans in agricultural fields can lead to the occurrence of soil-borne diseases. Alterations in the composition of the soil microbial community are a primary cause of soil-borne diseases and a key factor in continuous cropping obstacles. Research exploring how different cultivation modes can modify the diversity and composition of the rhizosphere microbial community in red kidney beans, and thus mitigate the effects of continuous cropping obstacles, is ongoing. This study employed three cultivation modes: the continuous monocropping of red kidney beans, continuous monocropping of soybeans, and red kidney bean–soybean intercropping. To elucidate the composition and diversity of rhizosphere microbial communities, we conducted amplicon sequencing targeting the V3-V4 hypervariable regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and the ITS1 region of fungal ribosomal DNA across distinct growth stages. The obtained sequencing data provide a robust basis for estimating soil microbial diversity. We observed that, under the intercropping mode, the composition of both bacteria and fungi more closely resembled that of soybean monocropping. The monocropping of red kidney beans increased the richness of rhizosphere bacteria and fungi and promoted the accumulation of pathogenic microorganisms. In contrast, intercropping cultivation and soybean monocropping favored the accumulation of beneficial bacteria such as Bacillus and Streptomyce, reduced pathogenic fungi including Alternaria and Mortierell, and exhibited less microbial variation across different growth stages. Compared to the monocropping of red kidney beans, these systems demonstrated more stable microbial structure and composition. The findings of this study will inform sustainable agricultural practices and soil management strategies. Full article

Background/Objective: The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is an important mediator of intestinal homeostasis. The AHR senses certain classes of phytochemicals, including many flavonoids and tryptophan metabolites generated in the intestinal tract. Several in vitro studies demonstrate the presence of AHR ligands in numerous plants commonly consumed by humans. However, it has not been established that these foods can activate the AHR in vivo. The aim of this study was to evaluate how phytochemicals in foods can lead to AHR activation in vivo through modulating CYP1A1 activity. Methods: Freeze-dried spinach, corn, red potatoes, kidney beans, parsley, onion, carrots, bell peppers, and broccoli were fed to C57BL6/J female mice at 15% w/w in a semi-purified diet to evaluate the AHR activation potential. In vitro CYP1A1 microsomal assays were utilized to establish specific phytochemicals as CYP1A1 substrates. Results: Broccoli, onion, and carrots increased expression of the AHR target gene Cyp1a1 in the duodenum. Broccoli consumption led to the formation of the potent AHR ligand indolo[3,2-b]carbazole (ICZ), which is also a CYP1A1 substrate. Relative to the other vegetables, parsley contained a high concentration of apiin, a diglycoside of the flavone apigenin. Mice were fed a diet with either 10% parsley, 10% broccoli, or both vegetables. Parsley consumption increased broccoli-mediated Cyp1a1 induction in the duodenum, liver, and lung. Apigenin is a CYP1A1 substrate that can attenuate ICZ metabolism in vitro and increase broccoli-mediated Cyp1a1 expression in the lung. Conclusions: These results suggest that phytochemical competition for intestinal AHR binding and CYP1A1 metabolism modulates systemic AHR activity. Full article

This study examined the responses of four legumes—chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.), red kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L., Taishokintoki), adzuki beans (Vigna angularis), and peanuts (Arachis hypogaea)—to storage and roasting under high-temperature and high-humidity conditions (HTC beans). Roasting enhanced antioxidant activity in HTC chickpeas and peanuts, with chickpeas also showing increased resistant starch. In contrast, kidney beans showed reduced resistant starch after storage, with minimal recovery upon roasting, while refrigeration better preserved resistant starch. For adzuki beans, roasting reduced resistant starch in control samples but not in HTC samples. Reducing sugars decreased in all beans after roasting. These findings highlight roasting as a promising method for repurposing HTC chickpeas and peanuts for functional food applications. Limitations include variability among legumes and the need for further mechanistic and sensory studies. Full article

Pulses, the dried seeds of leguminous plants, form an important part of the diets of many cultures, including Caribbean cuisine, and are a rich source of protein, carbohydrates, and antioxidants while being low in fats. This study examined the effect of a traditional home-cooking method on the nutritional characteristics of pulses commonly consumed in the Caribbean: red kidney beans and cranberry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata L.), and pigeon peas (Cajanus cajan L.). Protein quality, determined via three in vitro protein digestibility methods, starch, and phenolic content were determined in pre- and post-cooked samples using established methods. Pulses contained 20–26% protein, and cooking improved protein digestibility on average by 14.0 ± 2.5% (p < 0.05). However, notable differences in digestibility were observed: it was higher in static assays (pH-Drop and pH-Stat) than in the two-step digestibility assay. Average protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (IVPDCAAS) among cooked pulses was 0.81 ± 0.14, with the highest in cranberry bean (0.82) and cowpea (0.88). Cooking modified pulse starch profiles by increasing total digestible starch. However, resistant starch and slowly digestible starch fractions accounted for approximately 20–25% of total cooked starch content. While total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity were reduced with cooking, they were within expected ranges for cooked pulse flours; however, they were higher in bean (P. vulgaris) varieties than cowpea and pigeon pea. These findings support the promotion of increased pulse consumption in Caribbean diets. Home cooking is a simple method to enhance pulse protein quality through enhancing digestibility; however, in vitro protein digestibility assays may require further standardization. Full article

The processing of beans begins with a particularly time-consuming procedure, the hydration of the seeds. Ultrasonic treatment (US) represents a potential environmentally friendly method for process acceleration, while near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) is a proposedly suitable non-invasive monitoring tool to assess compositional changes. Our aim was to examine the hydration process of red kidney beans of varying sizes and origins. Despite the varying surface areas, the beans’ soaking times of 13–15, 15–17, and 17–19 mm did not reveal significant differences between any of the groups (control; low power: 180 W, 20 kHz; high power: 300 W, 40 kHz). US treatment was observed to result in the release of greater quantities of water-soluble components from the beans. This was evidenced by the darkening of the soaking water’s color, the increase in the a* color parameter, and the rise in the dry matter value. NIRs, in combination with chemometric tools, are an effective tool for predicting the characteristics of bean-soaking water. The PLSR- and SVR-based modelling for dry matter content and light color parameters demonstrated robust model fits with cross and test set-validated R² values (>0.95), suggesting that these techniques can effectively capture the chemical information of the samples. Full article

Legumes are a rich source of polyphenolic compounds known for their ability to promote health. Under stress conditions, legumes have been shown to produce higher levels of secondary metabolites, as a defensive mechanism. Hence, the present study aimed to induce legume seeds (e.g., soybean, chickpea, green pea, and red kidney bean) by inoculating them with Aspergillus sojae (A. sojae) and to evaluate the extracts for phytoalexins, phenolics, and antioxidant, antiobesity, and antidiabetic potentials. The UPLC-DAD findings of A. sojae-induced legumes showed medicarpin and maackiain in chickpea, pisatin in green pea, glyceollin I-III in soybean, and kievitone and phaseollin in red kidney bean. All induced legumes exhibited a higher total polyphenol content compared to the non-induced ones. Among induced legumes, soybean exhibited a higher (4.85 mg GAE/g) polyphenol content. The UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS findings established that legumes contained substantial levels of protocatechuic acid, vanillic acid, ferulic acid, chlorogenic acid, coumaric acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, and caffeic acid. The results of antioxidant assays revealed a significantly higher level of activity in induced red kidney bean and soybean, whereas the level of activity in non-induced legumes was markedly lower. Moreover, induced red kidney bean effectively inhibited α-glucosidase (87.2%) and α-amylase (63.90%) at 5 mg/mL. Additionally, the maximum lipase inhibitory effects were displayed by induced soybean (72.54%) at 20 mg/mL. Full article

This study provides an assessment of nutrients (protein, amino acid profiles, fiber, starch), phenolic content TPC, flavonoid content TFC, and antioxidant capacity through different in vitro methods in 12 legume species (red, green, yellow, brown, and black lentils; mung, pinto, black, and kidney beans; chickpea, soy, and lupin) and hemp. Legumes with a protein content above 30% were black lentil, lupin, and soy. Chickpea, soy, black bean, kidney bean, and mung bean did not have any limiting amino acids. All samples had moderate overall protein quality, except green and brown lentils. Black bean was less digestible (68.1%), while soy, hemp, and red lentil had higher protein digestibility (79.3–84.7%). Pinto bean had the highest TPC (425.19 mg GAE/100 g), comparable with hemp, but the lowest TFC (0.24 mg QE/100 g). Yellow and red lentils showed the lowest TPC (69–85.89 mg GAE/100 g). Mung bean presented the highest concentration of flavonoids (45.47 mg QE/100 g), followed by black lentil (28.57 mg QE/100 g). There were distinct variations in the antioxidant capacity across different legume samples and assays. Pinto bean, hemp, and green lentil had the highest relative antioxidant capacity index, while yellow lentil, red lentil, and chickpea presented the lowest. Dark-colored legume samples showed a higher TPC and a lower antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC and PCL assays), while yellow legumes had less antioxidant capacity (DPPH assay). A high correlation coefficient was observed between TPC and DPPH (r = 0.8133), TPC and FRAP (r = 0.8528), TPC and CUPRAC (r = 0.9425), and TPC and ACL (r = 0.8261) methods. The results highlight large variations in the legume properties and support the exploitation of the nutritional properties of legumes as raw materials for the development of products designed to fulfil modern consumer demands. Full article

To thoroughly understand the profile of phenolic phytochemicals in kidney bean seeds cultivated in a cold region, the extractions, contents, antioxidant activities, compositions of free and bound phenols in the seed coat and cotyledon, and also relevant color attributes, were investigated. The results indicated that ultrasound-assisted extraction was an efficient method for free phenols. The bound phenols in seed coat and cotyledon were released more efficiently by alkali-acid and acid-alkali sequential hydrolysis, respectively. Under the optimized extractions, total phenols (TPC), flavonoids (TFC), and anthocyanins (TAC) ranged in 7.81–32.89 mg GAE/g dw, 3.23–15.65 mg RE/g dw, and 0–0.21 mg CE/g dw in the whole seeds of the five common kidney beans. There was a big difference in phenolic distribution between red and white seeds. From whole seed, the phenols in the four red cultivars mainly existed in free state (78.84%) and seed coat (71.56%), while the phenols in the white ‘Sark’ divided equally between free (51.18%) and bound (48.82%) states and consisted chiefly in cotyledon (81.58%). The correlation analyses showed that the antioxidant activities were significantly and positively correlated with TPC and TFC. The phenolic attributes were closely associated with the color of the seed coat. Red seeds had higher total contents of phenols than white seeds. TAC had a positively significant correlation with redness. Brightness and yellowness showed a negatively significant correlation with TPC, TFC, and antioxidant capacities, which were necessarily linked with redness degree and spot in red seeds. The spotted red ‘Yikeshu’ with the most outstanding performance on phenolic attributes was selected to analyze phenolic compounds with UHPLC-QE-MS. Among the 85 identified phenolics, 2 phenolic acids and 10 flavonoids were dominant. The characteristic phenolics in free and bound states were screened in both seed coat and cotyledon, respectively. The available information on the phenolic profile may expand the utilization of kidney beans as a nutritional ingredient in the food industry. Full article

Ultrasound (US)-assisted soaking combined with fortification with red grape skin (GS) phenolics was applied on two Phaseolus varieties, namely White Kidney Bean (WKB) and Cranberry Bean (CB), before heat treatment. The aims were to investigate: (a) the effect of US application on the kinetic of hydration; (b) the extent of absorption of different phenolic classes of GS into the beans and the resulting effect on antioxidant activity; (c) the effects of heat treatment on the phenolic fraction and antioxidant activity of GS extract- and water-soaked beans. US fastened the soaking step of both WKB and CB beans, which showed the sigmoidal and the downward concave shape hydration curves, respectively. Anthocyanins, flavonols, flavanol and phenolic acids levels increased with GS soaking, but US application was effective only for increasing the level of flavonols, while it favored the loss of endogenous phenolic acids and it did not affect the uptake of anthocyanins and flavanols. Heat treatment decreased the levels of most of phenolic compounds, but increased the levels of monomeric flavanols. Overall, the antioxidant activity was 40% higher in WKB and 53% higher in CB upon GS-fortification than in the control beans, despite the effects of heating. This fortification strategy could be applied for value addition of varieties low in phenolics or as a pre-treatment before intensive processing. Full article

Pulses—comprising the dry, edible seeds of leguminous plants—have long been lauded for their culinary flexibility and substantial nutritional advantages. This scoping review aimed to map the evidence on how pulses contribute to overall human health. Four electronic databases were searched for clinical and observational studies in English. We identified 30 articles (3 cross-sectional studies, 1 federated meta-analysis, 8 prospective cohort studies, 1 before-and-after study, and 17 randomized controlled trials) that met our inclusion criteria. Predominant among the pulses studied were lentils, chickpeas, common bean varieties (e.g., pinto, black, navy, red, kidney), black-eyed peas, cowpeas, and split peas. Consumption modalities varied; most studies examined mixed pulses, while five isolated individual types. In intervention studies, pulses were incorporated into diets by allotting a fixed pulse serving on top of a regular diet or by substituting red meat with pulses, offering a comparative analysis of dietary effects. The health outcomes evaluated were multifaceted, ranging from lipid profiles to blood pressure, cardiovascular disease risk and mortality, type 2 diabetes and glycemic control, metabolic syndrome indicators, inflammatory markers, oxidative stress biomarkers, and hormonal profiles. The most frequently assessed study outcomes included changes in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, hemoglobin A1c, waist circumference, and C-reactive protein or high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. This review should serve as a call to action for the scientific community to build upon the existing evidence, enriching our understanding of the nutritional and health-promoting attributes of pulses. Full article

During precision sowing, the contact process between the soil and seeds cannot be ignored. The constitutive relationship of soil is relatively complex, with characteristics such as high nonlinearity, while the contact mechanism between the soil and seeds is unclear. To better understand the contact between seeds and soil, it is necessary to establish a reasonable contact model. Ellipsoidal seeds, such as soybean, red bean, and kidney bean seeds, were adopted as research objects. In this paper, we used the discrete element method to establish an ellipsoidal seed–soil contact model. The JKR + bonding model was adopted for describing the adhesion between soil particles, and the Hertz–Mindlin new restitution (HMNS) model was used for ellipsoidal seed particles to eliminate the multiple contact point issue when modeling with the multi-sphere filling method. Moreover, both simulations and experiments were conducted to calibrate the interaction parameters between soil and seeds. The path of steepest ascent test and Box‒Behnken design (BBD) tests were also used, as well as direct shear tests. Thus, certain soil parameter values were obtained, namely the JKR surface energy was 4.436 J/m², the normal stiffness per unit area was 2.86 × 10⁶ N/m³, the shear stiffness per unit area was 5.54 × 10⁵ N/m³, the critical normal stress was 1833 Pa, and the critical shear stress was 3332 Pa. In addition, the simulation parameters for ellipsoidal seeds were obtained from previous works. Moreover, to obtain more accurate ellipsoidal seed–soil interaction parameters, collision tests, static friction tests, and rolling friction tests were adopted. A single-factor test was used to calibrate the ellipsoidal seed–soil interaction parameters. The calibration results were as follows: the collision restitution coefficients of ellipsoidal seeds with soil were all 0.25. The static friction coefficient of soybeans with soil was 0.6, that of red beans with soil was 0.65, and that of kidney beans with soil was 0.5. The rolling friction coefficient of soybeans with soil was 0.1, that of red beans with soil was 0.14, and that of kidney beans with soil was 0.14. Finally, the rationality of parameter selection was verified through piling tests between ellipsoidal seeds and soil. The relative error of the angle of repose of soybean/soil was 2.99%, that of red bean/soil was 0.60%, and that of kidney bean/soil was 0.55%. Thus, the feasibility and rationality of the contact models between the ellipsoidal seeds and soil established in this paper, as well as the parameter selection, were verified. Full article

Sustainable nutrition is becoming increasingly popular as a strategy for ensuring food production and consumption with environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Current studies show the need for a plant-based diet to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve population health. In this preliminary cross-sectional study, the consumption of legumes and nuts/seeds of adults living in Turkey was investigated. A total of 3624 adults (50.8% were women) were included in the study. Legumes and nuts/seeds consumption frequencies, consumption patterns and one-day food consumption records were taken. Of the individuals, 44.4% were of a normal weight, 36.7% were overweight and 15.1% were obese. Legumes were preferred by 57.4% for lunch and by 40.8% for dinner, and nuts/seeds were preferred by 72.7% for snacks. Every fortnight, 36.4% of the individuals consumed beans, 27.9% consumed peas, 20.4% consumed red kidney beans, 25.4% consumed green lentils and 34.6% consumed chickpeas. Red lentils were the most frequently consumed legumes, with 81.1% of the study participants consuming them once every fifteen days or more. The average monthly consumption of beans was 274.78 ± 245.17 g, for red lentils, it was 232.43 ± 270.13 g and for chickpeas, it was 246.52 ± 233.55 g. Legumes were consumed at least once a week as 75.9% soup, 65.2% as a main/side dish, and dried nuts 86.1% as snacks. The most consumed nuts/seeds over 100 g per month were sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, raw hazelnuts, roasted hazelnuts, and roasted chickpeas. The next step is to investigate the factors affecting the current consumption types and amounts of these food groups with regression analysis, which will constitute the most important building block of a healthy diet within the framework of sustainable nutrition. Full article

Anthracnose (ANT) and angular leaf spot (ALS) are significant diseases in common bean, leading to considerable yield losses under specific environmental conditions. The California Dark Red Kidney (CDRK) bean cultivar is known for its resistance to multiple races of both pathogens. Previous studies have identified the CoPv01^CDRK/PhgPv01^CDRK resistance loci on chromosome Pv01. Here, we evaluated the expression levels of ten candidate genes near the CoPv01^CDRK/PhgPv01^CDRK loci and plant defense genes using quantitative real-time PCR in CDRK cultivar inoculated with races 73 of Colletotrichum lindemuthianum and 63-39 of Pseudocercospora griseola. Gene expression analysis revealed that the Phvul.001G246300 gene exhibited the most elevated levels, showing remarkable 7.8-fold and 8.5-fold increases for ANT and ALS, respectively. The Phvul.001G246300 gene encodes an abscisic acid (ABA) receptor with pyrabactin resistance, PYR1-like (PYL) protein, which plays a central role in the crosstalk between ABA and jasmonic acid responses. Interestingly, our results also showed that the other defense genes were initially activated. These findings provide critical insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying plant defense against these diseases and could contribute to the development of more effective disease management strategies in the future. Full article