(Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, 2006-06-20) Fialho, Lílian da Silva; Guimarães, Valéria Monteze; Barros, Everaldo Gonçalves de; Moreira, Maurilio Alves; Dias, Luiz Antônio dos Santos; Oliveira, Maria Goreti de Almeida; José, Inês Chamel; Rezende, Sebastião Tavares de
Common beans have a high nutritional value, but contain galactooligosaccharides (GO), which cause flatulence and intestinal discomfort in humans. The biochemical composition of ten bean cultivars was determined to select those of high protein and low GO contents. The cultivars varied in carbohydrate (47.02–60.17%), GO (3.12 – 5.71%), protein (22.17–33.50%), lipid (1.13–1.81%), moisture (11.42–12.93%) and ash contents (4.08–5.61%). ‘Mexico 222’ presented the highest α-galactosidase activity. Protein and GO contents were positively correlated. ‘Perry Marrow’ combined high protein and low GO concentrations, indicating it can be used in improvement programs aiming at high-quality cultivars for human consumption.
