Legume Science最新文献

Crude starch is obtained as a by-product during production of lentil protein isolates and concentrates; thus, this starch carries the potential for value addition through chemical modifications. The present study therefore exploited split red lentil starch (LS) for development of cross-linked starches using phosphorous oxychloride (POCl₃). The lentil starches treated with 0.03%, 0.06%, 0.09%, and 0.2% levels of POCl₃ (starch dry weight basis) were labeled as CLS_0.03, CLS_0.06, CLS_0.09, and CLS_0.2, respectively. All phosphorylated lentil starches were observed to be safe for consumption, as phosphorous content was observed to be in the range of (0.0034–0.0154)%, which was below the prescribed limit of FAO (i.e., 0.4%). The lentil starches after phosphorylation exhibited reduced swelling power and solubility. The lower % breakdown values observed in pasting properties and lesser increment observed in phase angles values with rising frequency for phosphorylated lentil starches confirmed their high shear tolerance. The CLS_0.09 and CLS_0.2 also showed higher (1047/1022 cm⁻¹) ratio observed through FTIR compared to LS confirming the development of more ordered structure with the increase in distarch phosphate crosslinks. The spectra also shower higher absorption intensity of phosphorylated starches in the range of (900–1100) cm⁻¹. Moreover, it was observed that increase in levels of POCl₃ treatment led to development of more resistant starch (RS4) and also decreased the readily digestible starch content at higher treatment levels, suggesting its use in development of food products for diabetic patients with better sensory properties compared to conventional fibers which negatively affects food esthetics.

Chickpea is a self-pollinated, diploid, and annual plant (2x = 2n = 16). After peas and beans, it is the most important legume in the world. Reduced chickpea production and productivity have been significantly influenced by the lack of improved and adaptable genotypes, poor management practices, biotic factors such as disease and pests, and abiotic factors including fluctuating rainfall and temperature. New chickpea genotypes introduced in Northern Ethiopia lack adaptability, stability, and performance evaluation, resulting in crop losses for farmers due to their susceptibility to the new and variable environment. To address these challenges, recently released high-yielding genotypes, alongside a standard check, were evaluated for adaptability, performance, and yield stability over 2 years (2022/2023 and 2023/2024) in three districts (Shebel, Awabel, and, Jabitenan) of Northern Ethiopia across six multienvironment field trials each employing a randomized complete block design with three replications. SAS 9.4 and R software were used, showing significant differences in crop phenological stages, growth, and yield parameters across years and locations for test traits. Genotype, location, and year interactions significantly influenced all Kabuli chickpea genotypes. The highest combined mean grain yield was obtained from genotype “Arerti” (2.42 t ha⁻¹) followed by “Yelbie” (2.18 t ha⁻¹), which explained their best performance among the tested genotypes. Analysis of variance revealed significant interactions and differences between genotypes and environments, with 15.6% of the variation in grain yield attributed to environmental factors, 6.4% to genotype differences, and 11.4% to genotype-by-environment interactions. The Genotype and Genotype × Environment biplot and Additive Main Effect and Multiplicative Interaction analysis identified stable genotypes, representative environments, and interesting genotype–environment interactions. Genotypes Arerti, Chefe, and Yelbie were identified as stable based on Genotype and Genotype × Environment biplot and Additive Main Effect and Multiplicative Interaction analysis. Environments Shebel and Jabitenan were identified as representative among all environments considered.

This study investigates phytochemical variations in three-dimensional (3D) printed biscuits prepared using raw and bioprocessed wholegrain/multigrain food inks. The flour-based food inks were raw wholegrains (i) 100% cowpea, (ii) 100% quinoa; bioprocessed wholegrains (iii) 100% fermented cowpea (FC), (iv) 100% malted quinoa (MQ), as well as multigrain containing composite bioprocessed blends (v) 80% FC and 20% MQ and (vi) 60% FC and 40% MQ. Phytochemicals were profiled using an ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS), revealing major classes: fatty acyls (17%), flavonoids (17%), prenol lipids (14%), and amino acids and one derivative (10%). The 3D-printed biscuits containing bioprocessed inks (FC or MQ) exhibited higher phytochemical concentrations compared to raw inks, with distinct compositional trends. Multigrain biscuits showed synergistic enrichment of fatty acyls, prenol lipids, flavonoid and flavonoid glycosides, and amino acids, alongside reduced purine nucleosides. Bioprocessed multigrain inks enhance phytochemical diversity in 3D-printed biscuits, suggesting better nutritional and health-promoting composition. Reduction of purine nucleosides implies that strategic blending of bioprocessed inks might help moderate dietary purine levels. Such bioprocessed multigrain inks are integral to developing functional 3D-printed foods with balanced nutrient and metabolite profiles.

Chickpea is an important agricultural crop with high nutritional value and potential for functional ingredient applications. Chickpeas are categorised into two market classes, desi and kabuli, according to grain size and colour, but variation in grain composition including the lipidome within and between classes remains largely unexplored. Macronutrient characterisation was performed alongside lipidomic analysis in a global Chickpea Diversity panel to identify drivers of grain composition and relationships between nutritional traits. Assays performed on chickpea flour showed extensive variation in almost every seed composition trait, with no relation to market class or geographic origin. Lipidomic analysis revealed triacylglycerols to be the most abundant lipid class in all chickpeas, regardless of market class, and C18:2 was the most abundant class of fatty acids. The analysis also identified low abundance fatty acids not previously classified in chickpeas (C20:1, C20:2, C18:4, C16:2 and C16:3). Moderate to absent correlations between macronutrient content suggest independent genetic control amenable to breeding. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified several loci of interest for grain composition, with 8% of the variation in starch concentration explained by two haplotypes, providing promising avenues for future work. These results highlight important opportunities for developing chickpea varieties with enhanced nutritional profiles and better suitability for emerging markets.

This study investigated the effects of bioprocessing (fermentation, germination, combined germination and fermentation and combined germination and solid-state fermentation) and ultrasonication (US) treated at 15 and 30 min (US 15 and US 30) on African yam bean (AYB) flour properties. Changes in nutritional, mineral, functional, antinutritional and antioxidant properties were evaluated, along with the consumer acceptability of cookies made from the processed flours. The moisture content of all the bioprocessed samples was higher, except for the ultrasonicated samples, which showed a decrease. The crude protein of the fermented AYB (FAYB) and US 15 exhibited higher values, with a decrease in germinated and combined germinated samples. The FAYB showed a significant increase in potassium and phosphorus, while the US 30 sample showed an increase in phosphorus and magnesium. There was a decrease in foaming capacity, bulk density, water absorption capacity and antinutritional factors (tannin and alkaloid), with an increase in total flavonoid, total phenolic and antioxidant activities of all the processed AYB flours. The ultrasonication treatments demonstrated a higher FRAP (ferric reducing ability of plasma). A consumer acceptability test revealed that the cookies made from US 15 flour were most preferred for taste, appearance, crispiness, texture, colour and overall acceptability, while the combined germinated solid-state fermented samples ranked highest for aroma. These findings suggest that ultrasonication, in particular, has a promising potential for enhancing AYB utilisation in food product development.

Faba bean protein concentrate (FPC) offers promising applications in the food industry, particularly in the formulation of plant-based meat and dairy alternatives, because of its versatile functional characteristics. This study examined the impact of thermal treatment on functional properties of FPC and the textural properties of its gels when using CaSO₄ as a coagulant. The thermal treatment involved a 30-min saturated steam treatment at 100°C in a commercial combination oven, followed by 10 min of fluidised-bed drying at 140°C, applied to dehulled faba bean seed material prior to dry fractionation. The functional properties of untreated and thermally treated FPCs, including protein solubility and water-holding capacity, were assessed. Subsequently, heat-induced gels were prepared with the faba bean protein material concentrations ranging from 12% to 16% w/w and CaSO₄ concentrations from 0.0% to 0.5% w/w and analysed for water-holding capacity, pH, textural and rheological properties. Thermal treatment resulted in a 32% reduction in protein solubility of the FPCs, while enhancing water-holding capacity by 2.2-fold. Gels formed with thermally treated FPC exhibited significantly higher stiffness and hardness, as well as altered rheological properties, including higher storage, loss modulus, yield stress and flow stress. The combination of thermal treatment and CaSO₄ significantly improved the textural and rheological properties of the gels, suggesting a synergistic effect. These findings demonstrate the potential of thermal treatment and salt coagulants to modulate the gelation properties of pulse protein concentrates, offering sustainable strategies for developing plant-based edible gels with enhanced functionality.

Peas and other legume crops are sources of sustainable plant-based proteins. Dry pea seeds can be processed into whole seed flour or dehulled milled flour and used as food ingredients. However, the widespread consumption of plant-based ingredients from peas is limited by their poor sensory properties, limitations in their functionality, nutritional properties and presence of anti-nutritional factors. Many of these negative attributes could potentially be overcome by using novel processing technologies. In this study, radio frequency (RF) pre-treatment of whole dry yellow peas was carried out at two temperatures (85°C and 115°C) and their effects on the macromolecular composition, amino acid profiles, anti-nutritional content, techno-functional properties and flavour chemistry were analysed. Significant reduction in the amounts of 12 out of 18 amino acids were observed in RF-treated samples compared to untreated control, while the other six amino acids showed a slight increase after RF treatment. Upon RF treatment, total phenolic content increased, while saponin content, trypsin inhibitor activity and lipoxygenase enzyme activity showed a reduction. Volatolomics studies revealed the generation of a number of new pyrazine class of volatile flavour compounds in situ, only in the RF treatment at the higher temperature of 115°C. Techno-functional analysis of dehulled milled flours prepared from RF-treated seeds showed an increase in water holding capacity, while the oil absorption capacity, foaming and emulsion properties decreased compared to untreated control. The significant findings of this investigation include the identification of a set of pyrazine compounds that enhance the flavour profile of RF-treated seeds and an improvement in water holding capacity of the flour that can increase its utilization in meat-analogue applications.

Faba bean is an important autumn-sown grain legume in Australia, coming third in production and hectarage after lentil and chickpea. It is mostly grown in South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland (QLD). Despite its introduction as early as European settlement in Australia, the crop did not get much attention until the 1970s, when research on it as a crop was initiated at the Waite Institute of the University of Adelaide and cultivar ‘Fiord’ was released for general cultivation in 1980. Production gradually increased and spread to other states, mainly Victoria and NSW. Two coordinated breeding nodes addressing distinct agroecological zones and disease spectra were subsequently established. The breeding node at the University of Adelaide is responsible for breeding long-season and Ascochyta-resistant cultivars for the Mediterranean-climate southern region, while the node at the University of Sydney is responsible for breeding short-season and rust-resistant cultivars for the subtropical area of northern NSW and southern QLD. Initially, the northern node was with the NSW Department of Primary Industries. Improved cultivars have been released from both organisations for their respective areas, leading to increased productivity. Rust in the north and Ascochyta in the south are the main diseases, while chocolate spot is a concern in both areas. In addition to increasing yield and disease resistance, both programmes also aim to improve herbicide resistance and seed quality, with reduced vicine–convicine content as an early target. Limited work has been done towards molecular breeding until now, but with the availability of a full genome sequence, resources can be directed towards genomic selection for faster genetic gain.

Genome editing technologies have great potential to accelerate plant breeding, but delivery of editing constructs is difficult in many crop species because they are recalcitrant to transformation or tissue culture. Here, we present a transformative method for delivering ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes and plasmid vectors to intact, regenerable plant tissues. This is the initial description and proof of concept for a novel transformation method for genome editing in faba beans, exemplifying a tissue culture recalcitrant crop species. This is achieved by applying an electric current to make plant cell walls and membranes permeable, facilitating the entry of macromolecular constructs into the plant cell and nucleus (Furuhata et al. 2019). This study presents a genome editing method applied to faba bean (Vicia faba L.), an early domesticated crop and an important cool-season legume in global agriculture, recognised for its nitrogen-fixing abilities and as a key protein source in numerous countries (Jithesh et al. 2024; Jayakodi et al. 2023). A major limitation in faba bean research to date has been the absence of a reliable transformation or genome-editing methods.

To prepare, the excised seed embryo (Figure S3) is perforated five to eight times with a 26-gauge needle. A droplet of liquid containing the desired macromolecular construct, such as an RNP complex or plasmid, is then applied to the perforated surface. Two 26-gauge needles are then inserted into the plant tissue, and transfection is achieved by applying an electric current via a 24–28 V battery (Figure 1A, Appendix S1). Details about the electrode assembly and safe use are provided in Appendix S2. To evaluate the effectiveness of electric current-mediated transfection in faba bean, we introduced the green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing transgene construct pLH-6000-GFP (250 ng/μL) (Figure S1; Imani et al. 2011) into faba bean embryos using this technique. Embryos were extracted from mature seeds that had been soaked in sterile MilliQ water for around 16 h. Viable embryos were retrieved and transferred to a standard 100x15 mm petri dish. The needles are connected to the battery prior to insertion into the embryo. One needle was inserted 2–3 mm into the embryo, while the second needle was briefly touched onto the first one for less than one second, creating an electric current to destablilize the plant cell membranes and facilitate plasmid transfection into cells and nuclei. The pulsing was repeated 3–4 times within 10–15 s.

GFP presence was confirmed two days after application of the electric current using confocal microscopy (Figure 1B, Video 1), with fluorescence detected using a 488 nm laser for excitation and an emission peak at 509–510 nm. Post-transfection, embryos expressing GFP were cultured on MS medium (4.4 g/L MS salts with vitamins, 20 g/L sucrose, 7 g/L agar, pH 5.8) supplemented with 1.5 mg/L IAA

In Ethiopia, the cultivation of common beans is hindered by the lack of nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients in the soil. To address this issue and enhance the production of common beans, a sustainable approach involving the use of nitrogen-fixing microbial inoculants and an adequate supply of phosphorus nutrients was investigated. A field experiment was conducted at Tach Gayint during the main cropping seasons of 2021 and 2022 with site one and site two. A randomized complete block design was used comprising 12 treatments, which included combinations of Rhizobium strains (uninoculated, Native/A15, and Native/429) and phosphorus rates (0, 50, 100, and 150 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹). Data of plant height, number of pods per plant, days to physiological maturity, days to 50% flowering, total number of nodules per plant, quantity of seeds in each pod, the weight of 100 seeds in grams, and the grain production in kilograms per hectare were collected. The Statistical Analysis System Software, Version 9.0 was utilized for this analysis. The results of the interaction effect revealed that significant difference among treatments. The treatment with 50 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹ exhibited the maximum number of seeds per pod (5.5), pods per plant (13.3), and hundred seed weight (22.5). The highest grain yield (2378 kg ha⁻¹) was obtained when the Native/429 strain was inoculated with 50 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended to inoculate the local isolate 429 with a phosphorus application rate of 50 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹.