The Fast Cooking and Enhanced Iron Bioavailability Properties of the Manteca Yellow Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Abstract

The common dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a nutrient-dense pulse crop that is produced globally for direct human consumption and is an important source of protein and micronutrients for millions of people across Latin America, the Caribbean and Sub-Saharan Africa. Dry beans require large amounts of heat energy and time to cook, which can deter consumers worldwide from using beans. In regions where consumers rely on expensive fuelwood for food preparation, the yellow bean is often marketed as fast cooking. This study evaluated the cooking time and health benefits of five major market classes within the yellow bean seed type (Amarillo, Canary, Manteca, Mayocoba, Njano) over two field seasons. This study shows how the Manteca yellow bean possesses a fast cooking phenotype, which could serve as genetic resource for introducing fast cooking properties into a new generation of dry beans with cooking times <20 min when pre-soaked and <80 min unsoaked. Mineral analysis revealed fast cooking yellow beans have high iron retention (>80%) after boiling. An in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cell culture bioassay revealed a strong negative association between cooking time and iron bioavailability in yellow beans with r values = −0.76 when pre-soaked and −0.64 when unsoaked across the two field seasons. When either pre-soaked or left unsoaked, the highest iron bioavailability scores were measured in the fast cooking Manteca genotypes providing evidence that this yellow market class is worthy of germplasm enhancement through the added benefit of improved iron quality after cooking.