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The general objective is to enhance the management and use of Genetic Resources on food legumes, which are crucial for sustainability, food security and human health. The project will expand the utilisation of food legumes genetic resources targeting users' needs in terms of accessibility, quality and quantity of information available. INCREASE, working with four important food legumes (chickpea, common bean, lentil, lupin) with significant value for the innovation of EU agriculture and food industry, will be based on four pillars: (i) innovative data management solutions to develop gold standards for data sharing and integration into the central infrastructure; (ii) developing novel tools and principles for germplasm management, based on the development of "Intelligent Collections"; (iii) adoption of cutting-edge technologies for genotyping and phenotyping combined with the potential of Artificial Intelligence; (iv) integration of available data and available genetic resources for European users. INCREASE will strengthen Europe in the field of legumes genetic resources and simultaneously it will represent an important model and tool for all crop genetic resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Grain legumes are important for human nutrition and contain slow-release carbohydrates. The major carbohydrate in legumes is starch, accounting for 40–50% of their total weight. The digestion rate for starch in legumes is lower than that in cereals. Inclusion of legumes in normal diets provides several health benefits for various metabolic syndromes. Legumes are normally consumed after processing which not only can improve the bioavailability of nutrients, but also can amend in vitro starch digestibility. This review provides current information on the following: (1) in vitro digestion characteristics of legumes including seed, flour and isolated starch; (2) impact of processing techniques of legumes on in vitro starch hydrolysis; (3) effect of storage of cooked legume products on in vitro starch hydrolysis; and (4) influence of chemical and physical modifications of legume starches on in vitro starch hydrolysis. Graphical abstract Image 10387 Highlights • The current knowledge on in vitro digestion characteristics of legume starches was reviewed. • Effects of processing methods on digestion of legumes were reviewed. • The influence of storage of legume product on starch digestion were provided. • Effects of modification methods on digestion of legumes were reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patterns of protein food intake are undergoing a transition in Western countries, but little is known about how dietary changes to protein intake affect nutrient adequacy of the diet.Objectives: Our objective was to identify simple modifications to protein food intake that can gradually increase overall nutrient adequacy.Methods: We identified patterns of dietary protein intake in 1678 adults from a representative French national dietary survey. For each individual, we identified the increase in portion size of 1 protein food paired with a decrease in the portion size of another protein food that would best increase nutrient adequacy (using PANDiet probabilistic scoring). Then, such an optimum simple dual change was iterated 20 times for each individual according to 2 scenarios, either by manipulating the intake of foods already consumed [scenario 1 (S1)] or by enabling the introduction of foods consumed by >10% of individuals with the same protein pattern [scenario 2 (S2)].Results: The optimum stepwise changes to protein intake primarily consisted of reducing portions of deli meats (both scenarios), sandwiches, and cheese (S2), while increasing portions of fatty fish and lean poultry (both scenarios) and legumes (S2). However, these changes differed depending on the initial dietary protein pattern of the individual. For example, in S2, legume intake increased among "poultry" and "fish" eaters only and low-fat meat among "take-away eaters" and "milk drinkers" only. The improvements in overall nutrient adequacy were similar among the different initial dietary patterns, but this was the result of changes to the adequacy of different specific nutrients.Conclusion: Beyond generic changes to protein intake in the entire French adult population, the initial dietary protein pattern is key to identifying the food groups most likely to improve overall nutrient adequacy and the profile of nutrients whose adequacy can easily be increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted in order to evaluate the symbiotic effectiveness of Rhizobium strains isolated from food legumes (Bean) collected from different sites in Fez city and regions (Morocco). For this purpose, 15 isolates were obtained. Seeds were inoculated with these isolates and grown in bags containing sterile soil in greenhouse under controlled plant growth conditions. 30 days after planting several measurements were carried out to assess nodulation, plant growth and N2 fixation. Nodule number and dry weight were determined as an indication of inoculation response; shoot and Root dry weights as an indication of growth response, and N-uptake as an indication of nitrogen fixation effectiveness. The results of the experiment were statistically analyzed showed a statistically significant difference between the tested strains (P < 0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Lentil, a cool‐season food legume, is highly sensitive to high temperatures, which drastically reduce biomass and seed yield. The effects of heat stress on qualitative and quantitative aspects of seeds are not yet known. RESULTS: In this study, we assessed the effects of high temperatures on quantitative and qualitative aspects of seeds in a heat‐tolerant (HT; FLIP2009) and heat‐sensitive (HS; IG4242) genotypes in a controlled environment. Initially, the plants were raised in a natural, outdoor environment (22/10 °C mean day/night temperature, 1350 µmol m−2 s−1 light intensity, 60–65% relative humidity) from November to mid‐February until 50% flowering (114–115 days after sowing). After that, one set of plants was maintained in a controlled environment (28/23 °C, as mean day and night temperature, 500 µmol m−2 s−1 light intensity, 60–65% relative humidity;control) and one set was exposed to heat stress (33/28 °C, as mean day and night temperature, 500 µmol m−2 s−1 light intensity, 60–65% relative humidity), where they remained until maturity. Compared to control, heat stress reduced the seed growth rate by 30–44% and the seed‐filling duration by 5.5–8.1 days, which ultimately reduced the seed yield by 38–58% and individual seed weights by 20–39%. Heat stress significantly damaged cell membranes and reduced chlorophyll concentration and fluorescence, and the photosynthetic rate, which was associated with a significant reduction in relative leaf water content. The proximate analysis of seed reserves showed that heat stress reduced starch (25–43%), protein (26–41%) and fat (39–57%) content, and increased total sugars (36–68%), relative to the controls. Heat stress also inhibited the accumulation of storage proteins including albumins, globulins, prolamins and glutelins (22–42%). Most of the amino acids decreased significantly under heat stress in comparison to control, whereas some, such as proline, followed by glycine, alanine, isoleucine, leucine and lysine, increased. Heat stress reduced Ca (13–28%), Fe (17–52%), P (10–54%), K (12.4–28.3%) and Zn (36–59%) content in seeds, compared to the controls. CONCLUSIONS: High temperatures during seed filling are detrimental for seed yield and quality components in lentil genotypes, with severe impacts on heat‐sensitive genotypes. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Chickpea is one of the world's largest cultivated food legumes and is an excellent source of high‐quality protein to the human diet. Plant growth and development are controlled by programmed expression of a suite of genes at the given time, stage, and tissue. Understanding how the underlying genome sequence translates into specific plant phenotypes at key developmental stages, information on gene expression patterns is crucial. Here, we present a comprehensive Cicer arietinum Gene Expression Atlas (CaGEA) across different plant developmental stages and organs covering the entire life cycle of chickpea. One of the widely used drought tolerant cultivars, ICC 4958 has been used to generate RNA‐Seq data from 27 samples at 5 major developmental stages of the plant. A total of 816 million raw reads were generated and of these, 794 million filtered reads after quality control (QC) were subjected to downstream analysis. A total of 15,947 unique number of differentially expressed genes across different pairwise tissue combinations were identified. Significant differences in gene expression patterns contributing in the process of flowering, nodulation, and seed and root development were inferred in this study. Furthermore, differentially expressed candidate genes from “QTL‐hotspot” region associated with drought stress response in chickpea were validated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although they eat seeds, pulp, petals, pollen, and nectar, parrots are rarely recorded as eating leaves, with only one species being fully folivorous. In terra firme forest in south-central Brazilian Amazonia, we recorded apparent folivory over a several sequential days by the Blue-headed Parrot (Pionus menstruus) on young leaflets of Swartzia polyphylla (Fabaceae). Closer examination, however, showed that the majority of processed leaves also contained small caterpillars, so that we consider this to be a record of highly selective insectivory, which is also uncommonly reported in parrots. We speculate that such events may be more common than realized and act as dietary supplements for a seed-based diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lathyrism is a disease caused by excessive consumption of grass pea, Lathyrus sativus especially under conditions of severe drought. Grass pea contains 3-N-oxalyl-L-2, 3-diaminopropanoic acid (β-ODAP) a putative neurotoxin which acts through excitatory mechanism causing Neurolathyrism. Due to awareness of the disease, availability of food and levels of consumption of L. sativus there is reduction in lathyrism cases where higher consumption of L. sativus is reported in India. The present study was undertaken with the objective to assess the current scenario of consumption of L. sativus, incidence of cases of lathyrism, β-ODAP, protein and amino acids content in L. sativus pulse collected from three districts (Bilaspur, Durg and Raipur) of Chattisgarh state. For this purpose, a total of 17,755 (13,129 rural and 4626 urban) individuals from 151 villages and 60 wards from urban area were covered for clinical examination. Out of total 5769 households (HHs) covered during the survey, 1602 HHs were cultivators, 1791 HHs non-cultivators and 2376 agricultural and other labourers. A one day 24-hour re-call diet survey was carried out in 5758 HHs (4549 rural and 1209 urban). A total of 360 split grass pea (SGP) samples were collected to estimate β-ODAP, protein and amino acids content. Results of the study revealed that an average consumption of SGP was 20.9 gm/CU/day in Bilaspur and no consumption was reported among urban population of Raipur. Only nine old cases of lathyrism were found during the study. The mean β-ODAP content in SGP was 0.63 ± 0.14, 0.65 ± 0.13 and 0.65 ± 0.14 gm/100 gm, whereas the protein content was 27.0 ± 2.39, 27.0 ± 1.99 and 26.7 ± 1.90 gm/100 gm in samples collected from Bilaspur, Durg and Raipur districts respectively. Arginine content was high in SGP and sulphur containing amino acids (cysteine and methionine) were less than other amino acids. In conclusion, the consumption of SGP was lower in these three districts with lower β-ODAP content than earlier reports, thus the lower prevalence of lathyrism in the districts surveyed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Maharashtra, soybean is cultivated on an area of 3.8 M ha with production of 3.07 m ton with second rank in India. However, low productivity of the crop remains a major problem of soybean cultivation, necessitating the need to ascertain the problems faced by soybean growers. Therefore, a study was conducted in the 20 villages of five districts of western Maharashtra. A survey method using personal interview of 100 farmers and focused group discussion with villagers, were used for data collection during the year 2013-14. Study found that labour problems, irrigation facilities, weed management, marketing of produce, pest and disease management were the top five constraints faced by the farmers in soybean cultivation. Shortage of labour and higher wages during peak period (95%) was major labour related constraints faced by farmers. In irrigation, farmers reported lack of irrigation facilities (81%) as major constraints in soybean cultivation. Proper farm mechanization, water conservation measures, short duration drought resistant varieties of soybean, timely supply of institutional credits and training to farmers on improved cultivation practices are important suggested measures to overcome the constraints faced by these farmers, for sustainable and profitable soybean production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We determined knowledge of the health benefits of consuming beans, and assessed if awareness varied by acculturation status among Hispanic and non-Hispanic low-income women. Methods: We used a self-administered survey with Iowa women aged 18-65 years who were eligible to receive income-based services through 2 healthcare clinics, a WIC clinic, and Extension Outreach. Chi-square and ANOVA were used to compare bean health benefit knowledge, demographics, health-risk factors, nutrition information seeking, and self-efficacy by acculturation categories. Results: Of the 158 women who completed the survey, 58% were Hispanic, with a mean age of 36 years. In terms of acculturation, 24% were Hispanic-dominant, 30% bicultural, and 46% English dominant. Over 50% of all respondents did not know bean consumption lowered cholesterol, aided blood glucose control, or reduced some cancer risks. Responses for 5 of 7 knowledge statements differed significantly by acculturation. Hispanic-dominant and bicultural women reported significantly better health, higher bean consumption, and less cigarette smoking than English-dominant women. Bicultural and English-dominant women were more likely to use the Internet for nutrition information. Conclusions: There are knowledge gaps about the health benefits of bean consumption among low-income women. Nutrition education to improve their knowledge may lead to increased bean consumption, reducing health disparities and improving nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Bambara groundnut is an indigenous African vegetable grown mainly for human food and animal feed due to its high protein content. Different factors like varieties and origin can influence the chemical composition of Bambara groundnut cultivars. Therefore, the aims of this study are to produce defatted flour and protein concentrate from newly developed Bambara groundnut cultivars [Accessions No: TVSU 5 – Bambara Groundnut White (BGW) and TVSU 146 – Bambara Groundnut Brown (BGB)] and compare their nutritional, physicochemical, and functional properties with market sample [Bambara groundnut commercial (BGC)]. Higher protein content was observed in BGW (20.73%) and BGB (20.14%) as compared to BGC (18.50%). Also, the fat and ash contents of BGB and BGW were higher than that of BGC. Also, the new varieties were found to contain higher levels of some essential fatty acids such as linoleic and linolenic acids. The concentration of thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic, ascorbic acids, pyrodoxine, alpha tocopherol, and vitamin K were also significantly higher in the two new varieties. The new varieties were good sources of magnesium, calcium, iron, manganese, sodium, and potassium. The oil and water absorption and swelling capacities of whole, defatted, and protein concentrate flour of the new varieties increase with increase in temperature. The defatted flour and protein concentrate of brown Bambara groundnut was found to exhibit high emulsifying activity and stability at different pH's and salt concentrations. The new varieties possess significantly higher foaming capacity and stability than the commercial variety. The results obtained from this study have shown the potential for the industrial and household use of the new Bambara groundnut cultivars into shelf stable protein products and could be a useful ingredient in food formulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soybean trypsin inhibitor (STI) is considered as one of the most important anti-nutritional factors in soybeans. The objective of this study was to investigate the impacts and underling mechanisms of dielectric-barrier discharge (DBD) plasma on STI activities. The results shown that DBD plasma treatment significantly induced the inactivation of STI in soymilk and Kunitz-type trypsin inhibitor from soybean (SKTI) in a model system. After exposure to DBD plasma at 51.4 W for 21 min, the STI activities of soymilk were reduced by 86.1%. Affter being treated by DBD plasma, the intrinsic fluorescence and surface hydrophobicity of SKTI were significantly decreased, while the sulfhydryl contents were increased. It is assumed that DBD plasma-induced conformational changes and oxidative modification might contribute to the inactivation of SKTI. In summary, DBD plasma technology is a potential alternative to heat treatment for the inactivation of anti-nutritional substances in food legumes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In current study, cowpea and mungbean were utilized in preparation of weaning foods. Roasting was carried out to enhance the nutritional profile of legumes and to reduce anti-nutritional factors. Afterwards, three cowpea or/and mungbean based weaning food treatments were prepared; W1 (20% cowpea), W2 (20% mungbean) and W3 (10% cowpea+10% mungbean) along with control; Wc (20% soybean). Results depicted significant decline of anti-nutritional factors in roasted legumes. Proximate analyses illustrated highest crude protein in W3 (17.01±0.19%) and lowest in Wc (14.09±0.27%). Moreover, highest calorific value and reconstitution index were observed in W3 as 398.69±24.02 kcal/100g and 56.56±0.83 mL, respectively. Likewise, maximum viscosity was also viewed in W3 (1985.27±21.84 cP). Additionally, loose & packed bulk densities were ranged from 0.46±0.04 & 0.52±0.04 (Wc) to 0.59±0.01 & 0.66±0.02 g/mL (W3). In the nutshell, indigenous legumes have potential to formulate weaning foods with appreciable physicochemical and nutritional characteristics. Hence, these should be utilized to formulate nutritious and cost-effective weaning foods to combat the prevailing infant malnutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is the most important food legume crop in Africa and Latin America where rainfall pattern is unpredictable. The objectives were to identify better yielding common bean lines with good canning quality under drought, and to identify traits that could be used as selection criteria for evaluating drought-tolerant genotypes. In all, 35 advanced lines were developed through single seed descent and evaluated with a standard check under drought and irrigated conditions at two locations over 2 years in Ethiopia. Grain yield ( GY), pod number per m2, seed number per m2 and seed weight decreased by 56%, 47%, 49% and 14%, respectively, under drought stress. Eight genotypes had better yield with good canning quality under drought compared to the check. Moderate to high proportion of genetic effects were observed under drought conditions for GY and yield components compared to genotype × environment effects. Significant positive correlations between GY and pod harvest index ( PHI) in drought suggest that PHI could be used as an indirect selection criterion for common bean improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.) is a major food legume cultivated in semi-arid tropical regions including the Indian subcontinent, Africa, and Southeast Asia. It is an important source of protein, minerals, and vitamins for nearly 20% of the world population. Due to high carbon sequestration and drought tolerance, pigeonpea is an important crop for the development of climate resilient agriculture and nutritional security. However, pigeonpea productivity has remained low for decades because of limited genetic and genomic resources, and sparse utilization of landraces and wild pigeonpea germplasm. Here, we present a dense intraspecific linkage map of pigeonpea comprising 932 markers that span a total adjusted map length of 1,411.83 cM. The consensus map is based on three different linkage maps that incorporate a large number of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers derived from next generation sequencing data, using Illumina GoldenGate bead arrays, and genotyping with restriction site associated DNA (RAD) sequencing. The genotyping-by-sequencing enhanced the marker density but was met with limited success due to lack of common markers across the genotypes of mapping population. The integrated map has 547 bead-array SNP, 319 RAD-SNP, and 65 simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker loci. We also show here correspondence between our linkage map and published genome pseudomolecules of pigeonpea. The availability of a high-density linkage map will help improve the anchoring of the pigeonpea genome to its chromosomes and the mapping of genes and quantitative trait loci associated with useful agronomic traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulses are important crops for food and nutritional security worldwide. Traditional cropping pattern almost always included a pulse crop either as a mixed crop or in rotation, the commercialization of agriculture has encouraged the practice of solecropping. India produces a quarter of the world's pulses accounting for largest share in the world production, both in quantity and variety. The major pulses grown in India are chickpea, Pigeonpea and Mungbean during 2013-14. Thus the poor production of pulses have not only created an imbalance in the demand and supply, but also resulted in soaring import bills, unpredictable price rise and low profit compared to competing crops. Average annual growth rate of area (4.5 per cent) and production (9.6 per cent) was maximum in chickpea during 2008-09 to 2013-14. Productivity of pulses increased from 441 kg/ha during 1950-51 to 764 kg/ha during 2013-14. There was enormous interstate variation seen in area, production of total pulses. The picture of net per capita per day availability of pulses has fallen drastically from 60 g to 42 g during 1951 to 2013. This shortfall has serious nutritional implications especially to children and women in rural areas. To achieve self sufficiency in pulses, there is a need to increase production up to 26.5 million tons by the year 2050. Research efforts, easy and timely availability of critical inputs and creation of seed village will be helpful in achieving self sufficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although pulse production grew significantly by 1.3% between 1980 and 2013, its per capita availability remained stagnant at around 6.5 kg/capita/year. In 1961, its availability was 9.3 kg/capita/year. One consequence of slower growth in its production is rising pulse prices, which are twice that of cereals. The declining availability of pulses also triggered a boom in its trade, with 19% of the global pulse production traded in 2011 compared with 7% in 1980. In absolute terms, there has been a more than fourfold increase in pulse trade, compared with an only 1.5-fold increase for cereals. To meet the export demand, pulse production diversified, with developed countries emerging as the main exporters while developing countries were the main importers. The exceptions were Southeastern Asia (Myanmar) and Eastern Africa, which also emerged as important exporters. Projections using an International Model for Policy Analysis of Agricultural Commodities and Trade indicate that the demand for pulses will continue to grow in the short-to-medium term in developing counties owing to growing population, rising per capita incomes among the lower-income groups, and increasing demand for snack/processed foods due to growing urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving nutrition is a development priority, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in Africa and South Asia, in which there is a persistent burden of undernutrition and increasing obesity. Healthy food systems can play a necessary role, aligned with other multisectoral actions, in addressing this challenge. Contributing to improved nutrition and health outcomes through food-based solutions is complex. In considering the role that pulses can play in addressing this challenge, there are useful conceptual frameworks and emerging lessons. National food systems in LMICs provide limited diet quality. Foods for a healthy diet may be produced locally, but they increasingly rely on improved markets and trade. What might be done to transform food systems for healthier diets, and what role can pulses play? Food systems innovations will require a convergence of technical innovation with smarter institutional arrangements and more effective policies and regulations. In many countries in Africa and South Asia, pulses can make important contributions to healthier diets. Options for supporting pulses to make a greater contribution to healthier diets include increasing the efficiency of pulse supply chains, creating more effective public-private institutional arrangements for innovation, and establishing policies, regulations, and investments that are nutrition sensitive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) present important unmet prevention and treatment challenges. Dietary pulses are sustainable, affordable, and nutrient-dense foods that have shown a wide range of health benefits in the prevention and management of these conditions. Despite these findings, recommendations for pulse intake continue to vary across chronic disease guidelines, and intake levels continue to remain low. Here, we summarize findings from recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses assessing the relationship between dietary pulse consumption and cardiometabolic health and assess the overall strength of the evidence using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation tool. We conclude that systematic reviews and meta-analyses of prospective cohort studies assessing the relationship between legumes and the risk of coronary heart disease appear to provide moderate-quality evidence of a benefit, and several systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials assessing the effect of pulses on cardiometabolic risk factors provide low- to moderate-quality evidence of a benefit. There remains an urgent need, however, for more high-quality prospective cohort studies and large, high-quality, randomized trials to clarify the benefits of dietary pulses in the prevention and management of overweight/obesity, diabetes, and CVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulses are a dry, edible variety of beans, peas, and lentils that have been consumed for 10,000 years. Pulses are rich in plant-based protein and fiber, as well as micronutrients such as iron and potassium. The satiating effect of both fiber and protein assists in managing weight and combating obesity. The high fiber content and low glycemic index of pulses aid people with diabetes in maintaining blood glucose and insulin levels. Pulse consumption may improve serum lipid levels to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Pulses developed as a member of both the protein and vegetable food groups as a result of its high content of plant-based protein and dietary fiber. The last two revisions of the Dietary Guidelines saw the transformation from the MyPyramid 'meat and beans group' to the MyPlate 'protein foods group,' a nutrient name rather than a food source. Research suggests that consumers better identify with food source examples rather than nutrient names. The 2015 Dietary Guidelines also came with a new area: sustainable diets. Encouraging the consumption of sustainable food sources, like pulses, is imperative to ensuring a secure, healthy food supply for the U.S. population over time and for future generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of the present study was to systematically review and perform a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies exploring the association between dietary legume consumption and CVD risk, including CHD and stroke.Design: The PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched up to December 2015. A meta-analysis of the highest v. lowest (reference) category of dietary legume consumption was performed through random-effects models.Results: Fourteen studies conducted on eleven cohorts and accounting for a total of 367 000 individuals and 18 475 cases of CVD (7451 CHD and 6336 stroke cases) were considered for the analyses. Compared with lower legume consumption, the highest category of exposure was associated with a decreased risk of 10 % in both CVD and CHD (relative risk=0·90; 95 % CI 0·84, 0·97) with no or little evidence of heterogeneity and no publication bias. Null results were found regarding legume consumption and stroke risk. No substantial confounding factors were evident in stratified analyses.Conclusions: Legume consumption was associated with lower risk of CVD. Legumes' intrinsic characteristics, because they are often part of an overall healthy diet, or because they are a substitute for unhealthy sources of protein may potentially explain the current findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the effect of the school feeding program purchase criteria on the quantity, variety and origin of food products acquired for school meals in a municipality in Brazil.Method: Analysis of purchase lists for two years prior and two years after implementation of the purchase criteria (2010). The origin (family farms (FF)/other providers (OP)) and nutritional characteristics (recommended/controlled) of food products were studied, registering annual varieties (n) and daily quantities (kg/day); contrast of proportions was applied.Results: The acquisition of recommended products increased, and the quantity of controlled products decreased (p = 0.005). Purchase of legumes and vegetables (p < 0.05) increased and high sugar foods decreased (p = 0.02). The majority of food products in 2010 and 2011 were acquired from OP (64% and 61%), although FF provided the greatest proportion of legumes and vegetables. Ten new varieties of recommended products were incorporated, 9 of which were acquired from FF.Conclusion: The criteria of direct purchase from family farms resulted in an increase in the variety and quantity of healthy foods in the schools in the municipality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Transcription factor (TF) databases are major resource for systematic studies of TFs in specific species as well as related family members. Even though there are several publicly available multi-species databases, the information on the amount and diversity of TFs within individual species is fragmented, especially for newly sequenced genomes of non-model species of agricultural significance. Description: We constructed CicerTransDB (Cicer Transcription Factor Database), the first database of its kind, which would provide a centralized putatively complete list of TFs in a food legume, chickpea. CicerTransDB, available at www.cicertransdb.esy.es, is based on chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) annotation v 1.0. The database is an outcome of genome-wide domain study and manual classification of TF families. This database not only provides information of the gene, but also gene ontology, domain and motif architecture. Conclusion: CicerTransDB v 1.0 comprises information of 1124 genes of chickpea and enables the user to not only search, browse and download sequences but also retrieve sequence features. CicerTransDB also provides several single click interfaces, transconnecting to various other databases to ease further analysis. Several webAPI(s) integrated in the database allow end-users direct access of data. A critical comparison of CicerTransDB with PlantTFDB (Plant Transcription Factor Database) revealed 68 novel TFs in the chickpea genome, hitherto unexplored. Database URL: http://www.cicertransdb.esy.es [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical composition, plant cell-wall fiber components content, in vitro enzyme digestibility, potential protein and energy feeding value of forage of seven vetch cultivars were evaluated. Vicia sativa L. (cultivars Liya, Lorina, Vilena, Moldovskaya, Obrazets 666) and Vicia villosa Roth. (cultivars Violeta and Viola) were planted at the experimental field of the Institute of Forage Crops, Pleven (Bulgaria) during 2012-2014 period. The origin of Obrazets 666 is Bulgaria and of the rest six cultivars-Moldova. Vicia villosa cultivars revealed a greater content of CP and fiber components, measured as NDF, ADF and ADL (211.4, 451.9, 378.5, 74.0 g kg-1 DM respectively) in comparison with Vicia sativa cultivars (189.5, 409.2, 352.4, 67.9 g kg-1 DM respectively). Quality of the herbage in terms of digestibility was 63.9% IVDMD for Vicia sativa and 52.9 % IVDMD for Vicia villosa. The nutritive value based on arithmetical rank sum of all studied parameters (chemical composition, in vitro enzyme digestibility, protein and energy feeding value) showed better forage quality of V. sativa compared to V. villosa. With the highest nutritive value was distinguished cultivars Liya, Vilena and Moldovskaya, which could be used as germplasm in future breeding programmes for quality improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary proteins represent a key issue for the future regarding worldwide food security. Besides animal sources, plant proteins represent an opportunity to mainly contribute to protein demand. Whether some plant protein sources could appear as deficient in some essential amino acids, mixtures from different sources could represent opportunities to further propose adapted supply regarding specific demand. Such opportunities includes legumes as well as by-products of oil processing, i.e. canola and sunflower cakes. The nutritional benefits of such new sources are still under investigation considering benefits and limits like allergenicity. Finally, consumer behavior and acceptability remains the final bottleneck for developing new protein sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online data submission and retrieval system for coordinated research trials in food legumes has been developed with an aim to reduce the time and cost in collection, compilation, data analysis, retrieval and report generation. At the first instance, efforts were made to use plant breeding data as it covers more than 60% of total trials. The system has been developed using ASP.NET with C# as the front-end and SQL Server 2005 as back-end. This system has three online functional modules viz., Data Entry and Submission Module, Data Analysis Module and Report Generation Module. The system is designed to be user-friendly and is completely menu-driven with options for assigning login IDs and passwords. It can be accessed efficiently through URL: http://www.aicrpmullarp.res.in. The complete system has been presented, tested and validated during different Group Meets of AICRP on MULLaRP. The implemented system being satisfactorily used by the centres of AICRP on MULLaRP since last one year and has significantly reduced the manpower and processing time required for compilation, data analysis and preparation of annual report. The present article describes the design and implementation of on-line data submission and retrieval system for coordinated research trials in food legumes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: The 68th United Nations General Assembly declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses. Therefore it is timely to review the current evidence of the benefits of legumes for human health with a focus on Australian sweet lupins.Methods and Study Design: Medline, Pubmed, Cochrane library were searched to identify cross-sectional/epidemiological studies, randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews.Results: The strongest evidence appears to be for links between eating legumes and reduced risk of colorectal cancer as well as eating soy foods and reduced LDL cholesterol. However, epidemiological studies and RCTs suggest that replacing several meat-based meals a week with legumes can have a positive impact on longevity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and weight management, potentially via favourable effects on the gut microbiome. Sweet lupins are unique among legumes with one of the highest combined amounts of digestible plant protein (38%) and dietary fibre (30%). Unlike other legumes, their low amount of anti-nutritional factors negates the need for soaking/cooking and they can therefore be eaten uncooked. Sweet lupins may lower blood pressure, improve blood lipids and insulin sensitivity and favourably alter the gut microbiome. There is growing interest in pulses, especially sweet lupins, as ingredients to improve the nutritional value of baked goods (particularly gluten free) and to create novel products to replace meat.Conclusion: Legumes form part of most traditional diets. They, including sweet lupins, can play a useful role in health maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, a simple analytical method is proposed for determining tryptophan, and method is validated on some cereal and legume samples. In the method alkaline hydrolysis of proteins was used due to the destruction of tryptophan structure during acid hydrolysis. Following alkaline hydrolysis (120 °C for 12 h), hydrolysates are filtered through ashless filter paper and pH values are adjusted with hydrochloric acid solution. Separation and detection of tryptophan are performed on a reversed-phase column with fluorescence detection within 10 min by using a mobile phase of acetonitrile and acetate buffer of pH 6.3 (1:9, v/v). For determination of tryptophan content, the procedure described in the study offers an alternative analysis method by enabling high speed analysis and the use of simple extraction process to the other available methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Legume crops are useful as human and animal feed, wood energy, and as soil-improving components of agricultural and agro forestry systems through its association with bio-fertilizers. The later have a potential environment friendly inputs that are supplemented for proper plant growth. Bio-fertilizers are preparations containing living cells of microorganisms that help crop plants in the uptake of nutrients by their interactions in the rhizosphere. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are beneficial symbionts for plant growth. They are associated with higher plants by a symbiotic association and benefit plants in the uptake of phosphorus nutrients, production of growth hormones, increase of proteins, lipids and sugars levels, helps in heavy metal binding, salinity tolerance and disease resistance. In nature symbiotic association of Rhizobium and leguminous plants fixes atmospheric nitrogen. Indeed, research has proved that the association of mycorrhizae fungi and Rhizobium, with pulse crops, increased the beneficial aspects comparatively more than their single associations with the host plants. This review focuses on the role of dual inoculation of AM fungi and Rhizobium on different pulse crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The total phenol and antioxidant activity of the crude extract, dichloromethane, ethylacetate and butanol fractions of the leaves of Bauhinia species and Piliostigma reticulatum plants were determined and EC50 value calculated. The extract with highest antioxidant activity was used in the stabilization study of freshly extracted groundnut oil samples. The results revealed that ethylacetate fraction of P. reticulatum had the highest total phenolic content (106.50 ± 2.26 mg gallic acid equivalent per gram extract) and the lowest EC50 value (8.29 μg/mL). The stabilization study revealed that the plant extract-protected groundnut oil recorded the least values for lipid hydroperoxide, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and p-anisidine value and the least reduction in total tocopherol. This showed that the plant extract had sparring role on tocopherol. It can be concluded that ethylacetate fraction of P. reticulatum was a better antioxidant than butylated hydroxyanisole and could be used as an antioxidant in vegetable oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several commercial starch noodles made from legume, tuber, geshu (kudzu and sweet potato) and fernery starches were used to study the characteristics of starch in starch noodles and their effect on eating quality of starch noodles. Scanning electron microscopy observation found that the special inner structure of starch noodles was composed of some broken starch granules and some gel-like substances. Tuber and legume starches had the highest and lowest solubility, swelling power, swelling factor, setback, breakdown, peak viscosity, and final viscosity, respectively. Legume and tuber starches had the highest and lowest gelatinization temperature, respectively. Tuber and geshu starches had the highest amylose leaching rate, while legume starches owned the lowest value (p< 0.05). Tuber starches had the highest conclusion temperature of gelatinization (151.12~158.86°C). Fernery starches had the lowest value of retrogradation enthalpy (967.33 J/g dry starch). Legume starch noodles had the lowest broken rate (0.00~1.67%), swelling ratio (332.64~343.57%), and cooking loss (2.40~2.74%), and the highest hardness (87.47~93.29 g/mm2), shear deformation (0.49~0.52), and elasticity (0.58~0.62), However, tuber and fernery starch noodles did the opposite, tuber and legume starch noodles had the highest and lowest cohesiveness, respectively. All the above cooking and starch properties test results of starch noodles demonstrated that, compared with others, legume starch noodles are relatively well in eating quality. The correlation analysis showed that the cooking and physical quality of starch noodles could be perfected significantly by improving the swelling and pasting properties for starch of starch noodles, while thermal properties had no obvious influence on them. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Total phenolic and saponin components were extracted from 13 commonly consumed food legumes produced in China, and then a systematic comparative study was conducted to investigate their inhibitory effects against digestive enzymes, pancreatic lipase, andα-glycosidase, respectively. Saponin extract (1 mg/mL) from black bean exhibited the highest (41.8%) pancreatic lipase inhibitory effect, followed by phenolic extract from adzuki bean with 36.3%, saponin extract from yellow soybean with 34.1%, saponin extract from pinto bean with 32.6%. It is worth mentioning that both phenolic and saponin extracts from the mung bean, adzuki bean, lima bean, and pinto bean exhibited inhibitory effects against pancreatic lipase. Among four beans, the adzuki bean had the highest inhibitory effects against pancreatic lipase activity. In theα-glycosidase assays, phenolic extracts exhibited strongerα-glycosidase inhibitory activity than that of saponins in general. Phenolic extracts of the adzuki bean, black bean, fava bean, lentil, rock bean, and red kidney bean inhibited over 80% ofα-glycosidase activity at the concentration of 1 mg/mL. Both phenolic and saponin extracts from the adzuki bean and rock bean exhibited inhibitory effects againstα-glycosidase. The results indicate that adzuki bean is one of the best target beans for further study on their anti-obesity and anti-diabetes effects via cell and animal models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chickpea is the third most important food legume in the world. The most important limiting factor for the chickpea production in the world, including Iran, has been the Ascochyta blight. The pathogenic variation of 40Ascochyta rabieiisolates from the western provinces of Iran was assessed on eight chickpea differential lines. The results revealed thatA. rabieipopulation is diverse in the western provinces of Iran and the virulence rating of isolates across differential lines showed a large but continuous pathogenic variability. Based on the statistical analysis and the continuous response in differential lines, it was not possible to categoriseA. rabieiisolates in the present study into pathotypes or races. Information obtained from the current study can be valuable in developing quarantine methods aimed to prevent dissemination of highly virulent isolates and in the development of durable resistant cultivars against the Ascochyta blight of chickpea. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A baked yellow split pea cracker was developed with fat replacement (0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%) using inulin, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and maltodextrin. Effects of fat replacement on physical (water activity, moisture content, colour and hardness), nutritional properties and consumer acceptance (nine-point hedonic rating) of snacks were investigated. Water activity (0.15-0.32) and moisture (1.28-3.16%) readings were consistent, and products were considered shelf stable. High levels of fat replacement (100%) were detrimental to snack colour and hardness. Snacks with 75% fat replacement using inulin and maltodextrin received similar mean overall acceptability scores (6.40 ± 1.36 and 6.26 ± 1.37, respectively) to the control and a similar commercial product. These snacks were eligible to claim that they were a 'good source' of protein (requirement; ≥10 g per serve) and an 'excellent source' of dietary fibre (requirement; ≥7 g per serve) while providing 'reduced' fat content (≤25% than reference food) based on the Australian Food Standards Code. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grass pea ( Lathyrus sativus) is an important food-legume crop for resource-poor farmers in the developing world. However, given its cultivation in the most underprivileged regions, the crop has not received appropriate scientific attention particularly from the genomic perspective, thereby giving it a status of genomic orphan. Nevertheless, some recent studies have attempted to develop modern molecular tools to strengthen the genetic and genomic research. In the present investigation, a comprehensive collection comprising 176 accessions was analysed using EST-simple sequence repeats ( SSRs). The SSR analysis revealed existence of a total of 51 alleles with an average polymorphic information content value of 0.35. A moderate level of gene diversity was noticed that ranged from 0.04 to 0.73 with an average of 0.43. Noticeably, two distinct subpopulations were recovered using cluster analysis. In addition, the presence of admixtures in population reflected the strong possibilities of gene flow between the accessions across the geographical boundary. In summary, we provide additional insights about the informativeness of available EST- SSR markers along with an extended understanding of relatedness, genetic structure and gene flow in an under-researched legume crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), an important food legume crop, is sensitive to salinity, considerable variation for salinity tolerance exists in the germplasm. To improve any existing cultivar, it is important to understand the genetic and physiological mechanisms underlying this tolerance. Results: In the present study, 188 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from the cross ICCV 2 x JG 11 were used to assess yield and related traits in a soil with 0 mM NaCl (control) and 80 mM NaCl (salinity) over two consecutive years. Salinity significantly (P < 0.05) affected almost all traits across years and yield reduction was in large part related to a reduction in seed number but also a reduction in above ground biomass. A genetic map was constructed using 56 polymorphic markers (28 simple sequence repeats; SSRs and 28 single nucleotide polymorphisms; SNPs). The QTL analysis revealed two key genomic regions on CaLG05 (28.6 cM) and on CaLG07 (19.4 cM), that harboured QTLs for six and five different salinity tolerance associated traits, respectively, and imparting either higher plant vigour (on CaLG05) or higher reproductive success (on CaLG07). Two major QTLs for yield in the salinity treatment (explaining 12 and 17% of the phenotypic variation) were identified within the two key genomic regions. Comparison with already published chickpea genetic maps showed that these regions conferred salinity tolerance across two other populations and the markers can be deployed for enhancing salinity tolerance in chickpea. Based on the gene ontology annotation, forty eight putative candidate genes responsive to salinity stress were found on CaLG05 (31 genes) and CaLG07 (17 genes) in a distance of 11.1 Mb and 8.2 Mb on chickpea reference genome. Most of the genes were known to be involved in achieving osmoregulation under stress conditions. Conclusion: Identification of putative candidate genes further strengthens the idea of using CaLG05 and CaLG07 genomic regions for marker assisted breeding (MAB). Further fine mapping of these key genomic regions may lead to novel gene identification for salinity stress tolerance in chickpea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food legume crops play important roles in conservation farming systems and contribute to food security in the developing world. However, in many regions of the world, their production has been adversely affected by drought. Although water scarcity is a severe abiotic constraint of legume crops productivity, it remains unclear how the effects of drought co-vary with legume species, soil texture, agroclimatic region, and drought timing. To address these uncertainties, we collected literature data between 1980 and 2014 that reported monoculture legume yield responses to drought under field conditions, and analyzed this data set using meta-analysis techniques. Our results showed that the amount of water reduction was positively related with yield reduction, but the extent of the impact varied with legume species and the phenological state during which drought occurred. Overall, lentil (Lens culinaris), groundnut (Arachis hypogaea), and pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) were found to experience lower drought-induced yield reduction compared to legumes such as cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) and green gram (Vigna radiate). Yield reduction was generally greater when legumes experienced drought during their reproductive stage compared to during their vegetative stage. Legumes grown in soil with medium texture also exhibited greater yield reduction compared to those planted on soil of either coarse or fine texture. In contrast, regions and their associated climatic factors did not significantly affect legume yield reduction. In the face of changing climate, our study provides useful information for agricultural planning and research directions for development of drought-resistant legume species to improve adaptation and resilience of agricultural systems in the drought-prone regions of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dry bean (Phaseolus vulgarisL.) is an important food legume for the South American population. In South America it is eaten every day by all sections of the population along with rice. The average yield of this legume is low in South America and use of inadequate rates of fertilizers, including potassium (K), is one of the main factors. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate thirty dry bean genotypes for K-use efficiency. The K rates used were 0 mg kg−1(low) and 200 mg kg−1(high). Soil used in the experiment was an Oxisol. There was a significant response of potassium level and genotypes for most of the growth, yield, and yield components. In addition, K × genotype interactions were also significant for most of the traits evaluated. The K × genotype significant interaction indicates different responses of dry bean genotypes to change in K levels. Based on grain yield efficiency index, genotypes were classified as efficient, moderately efficient, and inefficient in K-use efficiency. Grain yield showed a significant positive association with straw yield, number of pods per plant, number of grain per pod, root length, and grain harvest index. Overall, maximum grain yield was obtained with Mehlich 1–extractable 76 mg K kg−1soil and K saturation of 3.2 percent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much of modern agriculture is based on immense populations of genetically identical or near-identical varieties, called cultivars. However, advancement of knowledge, and thus experimental utility, is found through biodiversity, whether naturally-found or induced by the experimenter. Globally we are confronted by ever-growing food and energy challenges. Here we demonstrate how such biodiversity from the food legume crop soybean ( Glycine max L. Merr) and the bioenergy legume tree Pongamia ( Millettia ) pinnata is a great value. Legume plants are diverse and are represented by over 18,000 species on this planet. Some, such as soybean, pea and medics are used as food and animal feed crops. Others serve as ornamental ( e.g ., wisteria), timber ( e.g. , acacia/wattle) or biofuel ( e.g. , Pongamia pinnata ) resources. Most legumes develop root organs (nodules) after microsymbiont induction that serve as their habitat for biological nitrogen fixation. Through this, nitrogen fertiliser demand is reduced by the efficient symbiosis between soil Rhizobium- type bacteria and the appropriate legume partner. Mechanistic research into the genetics, biochemistry and physiology of legumes is thus strategically essential for future global agriculture. Here we demonstrate how molecular plant science analysis of the genetics of an established food crop (soybean) and an emerging biofuel P. pinnata feedstock contributes to their utility by sustainable production aided by symbiotic nitrogen fixation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality aspects of food crops have globally important market economic and health repercussions in the current climate of food security. Grain legumes have high potential for the nutritional quality improvement of foods, but limited data on manipulating seed quality is available as the primary focus has been hitherto on phenotypic and agronomic trait improvement. This has resulted in a lack of innovation and low attractiveness of legume food products that, with the emergence of novel food habits, have together contributed to reduced legume food consumption. This trend now needs to be challenged and circumvented. In this review we have assessed the key factors affecting the nutritional quality of legume seeds such as protein, starch, dietary fiber, natural antioxidant compounds and anti-nutritional factors. All have been reviewed with emphasis on how these components might influence consumer acceptance and functional properties of legume based food products. Biofortification approaches and technological processing are discussed as ways in which the nutritional value of legumes and their consumption might be enhanced. In order to increase consumption of grain legumes, we propose that efforts should concentrate on identifying nutritionally enhanced and genetically diverse germplasm, and on linking genetics with sensorial and processing quality. This will assist the development of breeding/selection tools for traits that determine consumer demand, facilitating the implementation of quality breeding objectives in legume breeding programs. Equally important, efforts should focus on developing attractive, convenient ready-to-eat and tasty legume-based food formulations, contributing to the diversification of healthier and more nutritional diets. As a result of such a targeted effort, legume cultivation and consumption could be enhanced leading to a reduction in both the global economic burden caused by malnutrition and associated chronic diseases, and the environmental impact of agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is arguably the most important food legume and a fundamental source of proteins especially for rural societies. In several countries, this species is characterized by a number of locally adapted landraces and many of them are at risk of extinction. In Italy, common bean cultivation has always been a typical element of rural economies especially in the Southern regions. We carried out an investigation of the morphological and genetic diversity in 25 common bean populations cultivated in the Campania region (Southern Italy). We analyzed 26 qualitative and 11 quantitative traits following the IPGRI descriptors. Furthermore, 10 SSRs were employed to examine genetic polymorphism, differentiation and population structure. Molecular and morphological data distinguished all the landraces under investigation. A considerable phenotypic diversity among landraces was observed for many characters, including some related to agronomical performance. At molecular level, all the SSRs were polymorphic, with an average of 8.5 alleles per locus. Moreover, the vast majority of the landraces (92%) displayed intra-varietal differences. Our work indicated the presence of a wide-ranging variation among and within cultivated common bean landraces. Moreover, it provided evidence that the implementation of measures for their on-farm conservation, management and promotion should be useful also to preserve genetic variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combining ability studies were carried out through line x tester analysis involving six lines and three testers for ten quantitative traits in kharif urdbean. The relative estimates of variance due to specific combining ability (sca) were higher than variance due to general combining ability (gca) for days to maturity, plant height and number of pods per plant indicating the pre-dominance of nonadditive gene action for these traits. The parents Mash 479 and KUG 489 were good general combiners for days to flowering, days to maturity and number of pods per plant. The cross 'Mash 479 x Mash 1008' exhibited significant positive sca effects for number of pods per plant, grain yield per plant and harvest index (%) alongwith high per se performance. The crosses; KUG 216 x Pant U 19, KUG 489 x Mash 338 and Mash 114 x Mash 1008 recorded highly significant sca effects as well as high per se performance for number of pods per plant. These crosses could be further exploited to obtain transgressive segregants in the breeding programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cereals and legumes are key components of a healthy and balanced diet. Accordingly, many national nutritional guidelines emphasize their health promoting properties by placing them at the base of nutritional food pyramids. This concept is further validated by the observed correlation between a lower risk and occurrence of chronic diseases and the adherence to dietary patterns, like the Mediterranean diet, in which cereal grains, legumes and derived products represent a staple food. In the search for a dietary approach to control/prevent chronic degenerative diseases, protein derived bioactive peptides may represent one such source of health-enhancing components. These peptides may already be present in foods as natural components or may derive from hydrolysis by chemical or enzymatic treatments (digestion, hydrolysis or fermentation). Many reports are present in the literature regarding the bioactivity of peptides in vitro and a wide range of activities has been described, including antimicrobial properties, blood pressure-lowering (ACE inhibitory) effects, cholesterol-lowering ability, antithrombotic and antioxidant activities, enhancement of mineral absorption/bioavailability, cyto- or immunomodulatory effects, and opioid-like activities. However it is difficult to translate these observed effects to human. In fact, the active peptide may be degraded during digestion, or may not be absorbed or reach the target tissues at a concentration necessary to exert its function. This review will focus on bioactive peptides identified in cereals and legumes, from an agronomical and biochemical point of view, including considerations about requirements for the design of appropriate clinical trials necessary for the assessment of their nutraceutical effect in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundnut ( Arachis hypogaea L.) is a major food legume in Africa, cultivated for its oil and dietary protein. This study evaluated 25 groundnut varieties for plant growth, N 2 fixation, N contribution and soil N uptake at three differing agro-ecologies in South Africa, using the 15 N natural abundance technique. The data revealed marked differences in dry matter yield, symbiotic N contribution and soil N uptake at each specific site. The percent N derived from fixation was 43–59% at Nelspruit, 47–67% at Mzinti, and 33–51% at Kliplaatdrift, amount of N-fixed was 76–188 kg ha −1 at Nelspruit, 70–171 kg ha −1 at Mzinti, and 58–126 kg ha −1 at Kliplaatdrift, while soil N uptake was 58–152 kg ha −1 at Nelspruit, 45–121 kg ha −1 at Mzinti, and 71–135 kg ha −1 at Kliplaatdrift. There was a highly significant genotype × environment interaction, with the majority of groundnut cultivars obtaining more symbiotic N for their N nutrition at Nelspruit and Mzinti than at Kliplaatdrift. In fact, most groundnut varieties showed a decrease in shoot biomass, %Ndfa, and N-fixed at Kliplaatdrift possibly due to inhibition of N 2 fixation by soil N. As a result, as many as 21 out of 25 groundnut cultivars derived more N from soil than from symbiosis at Kliplaatdrift. At Nelspruit, seven cultivars also took up more N from soil than symbiosis but still contributed significantly larger amounts of symbiotic N compared to Mzinti and Kliplaatdrift, an indication that those symbioses are relatively tolerant of soil mineral N, a trait highly desirable for agriculture and ecosystem functioning. Thus, plant growth and symbiotic functioning were strongly altered by mineral N uptake. As a result, there was a marked decrease in %Ndfa with increasing soil N uptake by groundnut at all study sites, especially at Kliplaatdrift ( r = 0.47***). There was also a significantly positive correlation between maximum temperature and dry matter yield ( r = 0.22*), as well as amount of N-fixed ( r = 0.20*). Rainfall also correlated positively with both dry matter yield ( r = 0.26*) and N content ( r = 0.40*), thus confirming the effect of genotype × environment interaction on plant growth and N nutrition. Taken together, cultivar ICGV03179 outperformed all the other genotypes in N 2 fixation and grain yield at all three experimental sites, followed by varieties ICGV03157, ICGV00362 and ICGV99046, which also showed superior performance at two of the three locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occurrence of the hard-to-cook (HTC) defect in legumes is characterized by the inability of cotyledons to soften during the cooking process. This phenomenon may be influenced by pectin properties. The objective of this study was to characterize the pectic polysaccharides comprised in the alcohol insoluble residue (AIR) extracted from easy-to-cook (Rose coco) and hard-to-cook (Pinto) common beans. This would provide an insight in the relationship between the pectin properties and HTC defect. The AIR was extracted from raw, half-cooked hard, half-cooked soft and fully-cooked bean samples. Subsequently, it was fractionated into water-, chelator- and Na 2 CO 3 -soluble pectin fractions and a hemicellulose fraction. For the AIR and the pectin fractions, determination of the galacturonic acid content, neutral sugars, degree of methylesterfication (DM), degree of acetylation (DAc) and molar mass (MM) distribution was performed. Results on the pectin fractions, MM distribution and pectin content profile, revealed that Rose coco pectin generally showed higher pectin solubility than Pinto. Neutral sugar profiles indicated that Pinto contained higher amounts of branched pectin (i.e. arabinans) than Rose coco. There was no difference between the DM of Pinto and Rose coco, however, the DAc was higher in Rose coco. In conclusion, the differences in pectin structure and solubility properties between easy- and hard-to-cook common beans might contribute to the differences in their cooking behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass of legumes grown as catch crops improves soil properties and thus soil conditions for following crops. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of field pea (Pisum sativum L.) grown as a catch crop and used for green manure on soil properties and yielding of spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Field experiments were conducted in 2008-2011 in the randomized block design with four replications, in typical black earth. The experimental factor was the time and way of catch crop incorporation: in autumn-with plowing (1); in the spring-with disking (2); control-without a catch crop (3). The soil with the catch crop contained significantly higher mineral nitrogen in the topsoil during tillering of barley than the control. Catch crop caused significant decrease in soil moisture and increase in penetration resistance in the topsoil in autumn. No significant effect of the catch crop on soil moisture during spring barley growing season in the following spring was obtained. Catch crop plowing in autumn caused significant decrease in soil penetration resistance in the 20-30 cm layer in early spring. Catch crop biomass plowed positively affected the number of spikes in sequential spring barley. Leaving pea as mulch for winter caused significant increase in 1000 grain weight compared to the control. Field pea grown as a catch crop for green manure can be recommended for increasing mineral nitrogen concentration and the soil biological activity in the topsoil. However, its influence on spring barley yield in fertile soils is low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial food processing and household cooking are reported to affect folate content. This study examined the effects of industrial and household processing methods on folate content in traditional Egyptian foods from faba beans (Vicia faba) and chickpeas (Cicer arietinum). Overnight soaking increased folate content by ∼40–60%. Industrial canning including soaking, blanching and retorting did not affect folate content (p = 0.11) in faba beans, but resulted in losses of ∼24% (p = 0.0005) in chickpeas. Germination increased folate content 0.4–2.4-fold. Household preparation increased the folate content in germinated faba bean soup (nabet soup) one-fold and in bean stew (foul) by 20% (p < 0.0001). After deep-frying of falafel balls made from soaked faba bean paste, losses of 10% (p = 0.2932) compared with the raw faba beans were observed. The folate content (fresh weight) in the traditional Egyptian foods foul and falafel and in the beans in nabet soup was 30 ± 2, 45 ± 2 and 56 ± 6 μg/100 g, respectively. The traditional Egyptian foods foul, falafel and nabet soup are good folate sources and techniques like germination and soaking, which increase the folate content, can therefore be recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] E385 can be determined in bottled food extracts by GC as tetramethyl ester of EDTA. [•] The evaporation of the aqueous extract by heating is a valid approach. [•] A previous mixture of the content in two-phase food samples is advisable. [•] Sample heterogeneity is an important factor to consider in the quantification. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]