Portuguese Common Bean Natural Variation Helps to Clarify the Genetic Architecture of the Legume's Nutritional Composition and Protein Quality

Non-starch polysaccharides from kidney beans: comprehensive insight into their extraction, structure and physicochemical and nutritional properties

Kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) are an important legume source of carbohydrates, proteins, and bioactive molecules and thus have attracted increasing attention for their high nutritional value and sustainability. Non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs) in kidney beans account for a high proportion and have a significant impact on their biological functions. Herein, we critically update the information on kidney bean varieties and factors that influence the physicochemical properties of carbohydrates, proteins, and phenolic compounds. Furthermore, their extraction methods, structural characteristics, and health regulatory effects, such as the regulation of intestinal health and anti-obesity and anti-diabetic effects, are also summarized. This review will provide suggestions for further investigation of the structure of kidney bean NSPs, their relationships with biological functions, and the development of NSPs as novel plant carbohydrate resources.

High Inter- and Intra- Diversity of Amino Acid Content and Protein Digestibility Disclosed in Five Cool Season Legume Species with a Growing Market Demand

Legumes have been sought as alternative protein sources to ensure food security and environmental sustainability. Characterizing their protein content and quality, including in underutilized grain legumes, e.g., grass pea, gives value to the legumes' underexplored variability. To fill the gap of knowledge in legumes' protein quality, for the first time, five extensive collections of cool season grain legumes were cropped under the same environmental conditions and further analyzed. Multivariate analysis showed the existent intra- and inter-species variability. The legume species with the highest protein content, grass pea, Lathyrus sativus (LS), was not the one with the overall highest individual amino acids content and in vitro protein digestibility. With these last characteristics lentil, Lens culinaris (LC), was highlighted. The highest average values of arginine (Arg), glutamic acid (Glu), and threonine (Thr) were found in LS and Vicia faba (VF). Cicer arietinum (CA) stood out as the species with the highest values of Thr and methionine (Met). Regarding the in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD), LC, followed by Pisum sativum (PS) and LS, were the legume species with the highest values. Ultimately, this study bought to the fore legume species that are not commonly used in western diets but have high adaptability to the European agricultural systems.

Ensuring Global Food Security by Improving Protein Content in Major Grain Legumes Using Breeding and 'Omics' Tools

Grain legumes are a rich source of dietary protein for millions of people globally and thus a key driver for securing global food security. Legume plant-based 'dietary protein' biofortification is an economic strategy for alleviating the menace of rising malnutrition-related problems and hidden hunger. Malnutrition from protein deficiency is predominant in human populations with an insufficient daily intake of animal protein/dietary protein due to economic limitations, especially in developing countries. Therefore, enhancing grain legume protein content will help eradicate protein-related malnutrition problems in low-income and underprivileged countries. Here, we review the exploitable genetic variability for grain protein content in various major grain legumes for improving the protein content of high-yielding, low-protein genotypes. We highlight classical genetics-based inheritance of protein content in various legumes and discuss advances in molecular marker technology that have enabled us to underpin various quantitative trait loci controlling seed protein content (SPC) in biparental-based mapping populations and genome-wide association studies. We also review the progress of functional genomics in deciphering the underlying candidate gene(s) controlling SPC in various grain legumes and the role of proteomics and metabolomics in shedding light on the accumulation of various novel proteins and metabolites in high-protein legume genotypes. Lastly, we detail the scope of genomic selection, high-throughput phenotyping, emerging genome editing tools, and speed breeding protocols for enhancing SPC in grain legumes to achieve legume-based dietary protein security and thus reduce the global hunger risk.