Evaluation of different leguminous seeds as food sources for the bean bug Riptortus pedestris

This study was conducted to determine the effects of six different leguminous seeds (cowpea, white kidney bean, soybean cultivars Cheongja and Daepung, mung bean, and azuki bean) on the life history traits of the bean bug Riptortus pedestris (F.) (Hemiptera: Alydidae). The total developmental time from the first instar nymph to adult ranged from 18 to 25 d; R. pedestris fed with white kidney beans were the slowest to develop. In addition, bugs fed with white kidney beans had the highest mortality (93%) and the shortest longevity (18 d). R. pedestris fed with cowpeas, soybeans, or azuki beans had high reproductive success, with the highest egg hatching success recorded in bugs fed cowpeas. The results suggest that cowpea may be a beneficial food source for the development and reproduction of bean bugs.     

QTL analysis of canning quality and color retention in black beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Black bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) consumption is increasing in the USA. One of the major challenges faced by breeders is to develop superior black bean cultivars to meet the demands of the canning industry. Processors require beans that take up water quickly during pre-canning soak and beans that retain their black color after canning. To properly assess canning quality requires expensive and detailed measurements of the canned product, often not possible for bean breeders. The objective of this research was identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) in a black bean recombinant inbred line (RIL) population for canning quality traits related to water uptake, color retention, and anthocyanin concentration. The parental lines from which the population was developed, Black Magic and Shiny Crow, contrasted in water uptake and color retention. These cultivars also differed in seed coat luster, controlled by a single gene, Asp. A medium-density linkage map of 1,449 markers and a distance of 1,660 cM was developed from this RIL population. The map was aligned to the bean genome sequence V1.0 by using sequence information associated with the Diversity Arrays Technology markers. QTL analysis revealed that the region near the Asp gene on chromosome Pv 07 is the major determinant of water uptake, explaining up to 49 % of the phenotypic variation. A group of QTL for color retention-related traits was found at the upper region of Pv 11, explaining up to 30 % of the phenotypic variation. A smaller effect QTL clustered on Pv 5 co-localized with a QTL for canned bean anthocyanin concentration and explained less than 10 % of the phenotypic variation. These color-related QTL have marker-assisted selection potential for bean breeders interested in enhancing color retention and anthocyanin concentration of processed black beans.     

Interactions of sulfated mucopolysaccharides with lectins. Application to the separation of mucopolysaccharide mixtures.

The interaction of sulfated mucopolysaccharides and lectins has been studied by determining the amount of precipitate formed when mucopolysaccharides are added to a solution of concanavalin A or a partially purified lectin preparation from red kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). The amount of insoluble complex obtained when a given mucopolysaccharide is added to a solution of partially purified red kidney bean preparation is pH dependent. The reaction of concanavalin A and heparin has also been studied by adding increasing amounts of mucopolysaccharide to a fixed amount of lectin. This interaction results in the development of a precipitin-like curve and leads to the isolation of a heparin fraction which has been found to be more reactive with respect to formation of a precipitate than the original heparin preparation. Monosaccharides such as α-methyl-d-mannopyranoside and N-acetyl-d-glucosamine which are known to bind specifically to the lectin, greatly inhibit precipitate formation. The interactions between sulfated mucopolysaccharides and lectins have been used to isolate various sulfated mucopolysaccharides.     

Host-Pathogen Interactions: XV. Fungal Glucans Which Elicit Phytoalexin Accumulation in Soybean Also Elicit the Accumulation of Phytoalexins in Other Plants

A β-glucan isolated from the mycelial walls of Phytophthora megasperma var. sojae and a glucan purified from yeast extract stimulate the accumulation of phytoalexins in red kidney bean, Phaseolus vulgaris, and stimulate the accumulation of the phytoalexin, rishitin, in potato tubers, Solanum tuberosum. These glucans have previously been shown to be potent elicitors of glyceollin accumulation in soybean, Glycine max.

Treatment of kidney bean cotyledons with the glucan elicitors resulted in the accumulation of at least five fungistatic compounds. These compounds migrate during thin layer chromatography identically to the fungistatic compounds which accumulate in kidney beans which have been inoculated with Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, a fungal pathogen of kidney beans.

Potatoes accumulate as much as 29 micrograms of rishitin per gram fresh weight following exposure to the glucan from Phytophthora megasperma var. sojae and as much as 19.5 micrograms of rishitin per gram fresh weight following exposure to yeast glucan. Potatoes accumulated 28 micrograms of rishitin per gram fresh weight following inoculation with live Phytophthora megasperma var. sojae.

     

Fungal contamination and mycotoxin-producing potential of dried beans

A total of 604 samples of about 7 different types of beans was examined to determine their mycological profiles, and suitability for use as solid substrates for mycotoxin production.All of the samples were collected from bean jam makers in Tokyo by the official food examiners.Genera Penicillium and Aspergillus were predominant, and genus Wallemia was also found commonly in all types of beans.Mycotoxin-producing Aspergillus strains were isolated from 52 samples of beans, approximately 9% of the total. The highest incidence of toxigenic Aspergillus (14.1%) was found in kidney beans. Red beans and peas inoculated with Aspergillus ochraceus were found to produce about 7 to 8 times more toxin than was obtained in a liquid medium, and red beans inoculated with A. versicolor produced more toxin than was obtained in yeast extract sucrose broth. Green peas inoculated with Fusarium graminearum produced about 8 times more T-2 toxin than was obtained in 1% peptone containing Czapek solution under comparable culture conditions.     

Microbial Degradation of α-Picolinic Acid, 2-Pyridinecarboxylic Acid

The biological effects of raw winged bean seeds were investigated with feeding experiments on rats, and the effects of lectin (phytohemagglutinin) present in the seeds are discussed. Administration of a 30% raw winged bean diet caused strong growth depression in young rats, and led to death within 10 ~ 20 days, inducing severe damage to the small intestine of the rats. Significant morphological changes of the intestinal mucosa were observed with a microscopic investigation. As the lethal effect was eliminated by autoclaving but not removed with supplementation of 0.5% l-methionine to the raw winged bean diet, the lectin was assumed to be closely related to the deleterious effects of raw winged bean. In vitro and in vivo digestion tests of the lectin revealed that the winged bean lectin had resistance to peptic, pancreatic and membrane digestions. The hemagglutinating activity was also detected in the intestinal mucosa and faeces from rats ingesting the raw winged bean or its purified lectin. The binding action of lection to mucosal epitheliums of the gastrointestinal tract is suggested to be the initial step of the deleterious effects induced by the winged bean lectin.     

Extraction and purification of a lectin from small black kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) using a reversed micellar system

Lectin from crude extract of small black kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) was successfully extracted using the reversed micellar extraction (RME). The effects of water content of organic phase (W_o), ionic strength, pH, Aerosol-OT (AOT) concentration and extraction time on the forward extraction and the pH and ionic strength in the backward extraction were studied to optimize the extraction efficiency and purification factor. Forward extraction of lectin was found to be maximum after 15 min of contact using 50 mM AOT in organic phase with W_o 27 and 10 mM citrate-phosphate buffer at pH 5.5 containing 100 mM NaCl in the aqueous phase. Lectin was backward extracted into a fresh aqueous phase using sodium-phosphate buffer (10 mM, pH 7.0) containing 500 mM KCl. The overall yield of the process was 53.28% for protein recovery and 8.2-fold for purification factor. The efficiency of the process was confirmed by gel electrophoresis analysis.     

Volatile components of cocoa with particular reference to glucosinolate products

The aroma volatiles of raw, fermented and roasted cocoa beans were extracted and concentrated to valid essences using well-established techniques. Analysis by GC and GC/MS showed at least 84 components of which 13 were identified for the first time as cocoa volatiles. In total, ca 5,66 and 65 μg of aroma components were obtained per g of raw, fermented and roasted cocoa beans, respectively. The most abundant groups of volatiles from fermented beans were alcohols (ca40%w/w of the total volatiles) and esters (ca 32%), whilst those from roasted beans were pyrazines (ca 40%) and aldehydes (ca 23%). Trimethyl- and tetramethylpyrazine were also detected in fermented beans, and it is suggested that they contribute to the noticeable cocoa/chocolate aroma of fermented unroasted beans. Phenylacetonitrile, benzyl isothiocyanate and benzyl thiocyanate were all identified amongst cocoa volatiles, together showing the presence of precursor benzylglucosinolate in cocoa. Glucosinolate products were detected in roasted beans, and it seems likely that the enzyme thioglucoside glucohydrolase survived the conditions of roasting. Benzyl thiocyanate was detected only in raw beans, showing that the glucosinolate ‘thiocyanate–forming factor’ did not withstand conditions of fermentation     

Bean tumbling as a control measure for the common bean weevil, Acanthoscelides obtectus

Recognizing that it takes Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say)(Coleoptera: Bruchidae) larvae over 24 h to bore into a dry red kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and that boring can occur only at particular sites where a bean abuts some other surface, we postulated that this pest might be controlled by periodic tumbling of beans so as to place initiated holes out of register with requisite touching surfaces. Larvae repeatedly forced to initiate holes might die of exhaustion, if not smashed by tumbling beans. Indeed, brief daily tumbling of beans held in half-filled jars, buckets, and gunny sacks reduced A. obtectus populations by 97% relative to stationary controls. We recommend that small lots of beans can be protected indefinitely from the bean weevil when stored in <75% filled cylinders rolled ca 1 circumference every morning and evening. This control method should be immediately useful, particularly among subsistence families, since the only external input is knowledge. Also, this control principle might be broadly applicable to other bean and grain pests having strict spatial and temporal requirements for seed penetration.     

Nutritive value of the nuña popping bean

Nuñas (Thaseolus vulgaris, Fabaceae), commonly called popping beans, are traditionally grown in the Andean highlands of South America, and are consumed as a snack food after a quick toasting process. Proximate analysis of their nutritive value revealed that nunas have a higher content of starch, amylose, and copper than four dry bean varieties and a lower mean content of protein, phosphorous, iron, and boron. The unique texture and taste of nuñas may be related to their high starch content. Antinutritional factors such as lectins were higher in raw and boiled nuña samples than in toasted nuñas, while tannin levels did not change from raw to toasted treatments. Overall in-vitro digestibility was slightly lower for toasted nunas than boiled dry bean.     

The role of cotyledon cell structure during in vitro digestion of starch in navy beans

Studies on the physico-chemical, microstructural characteristics and in vitro (under simulated gastric and small intestine conditions) starch digestibility of navy beans were carried out. The microstructure of raw and cooked beans observed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed the presence of hexagonal or angular shaped cotyledon cells (50-100 μm size) containing starch granules with a size ranging between 10 and 50 μm. The extent of starch hydrolysis (%) after 120 min of in vitro gastro-intestinal digestion differed between whole navy beans (∼60%) and milled bean flour and bean starch (85-90%) after they were cooked under similar conditions. Starch hydrolysis (%) increased significantly when the cotyledon cells in the cooked whole navy beans were disrupted using high pressure treatment (French press). The storage of freshly cooked whole beans resulted in a lower (40-45%) starch hydrolysis whereas re-heating increased the same to 70-80% during in vitro small intestinal digestion. The SEM pictures of cooked navy bean digesta after different intervals of in vitro gastric and small intestinal digestion showed that the cotyledon cell structure is maintained well throughout the digestion period. However cotyledon cells appear shrunken and developed wrinkles during in vitro digestion. Particle size analysis of cooked bean paste taken before and after the in vitro gastro-intestinal digestion showed similar particle size distributions.     

Conidiogenic effects of mannose-binding lectins isolated from cotyledons of red kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) on Alternaria alternata

Effect of proteinaceous extracts from red kidney bean cotyledons on mycelium of Alternaria alternata growing on potato dextrose agar (PDA) plates was investigated. Unexpectedly, conidia formation was induced in response to applied crude extracts. A PDA disc method was developed to quantify conidia formed. A purified fraction retaining conidiation inducing effect (CIE) was obtained following several protein purification procedures including the last step of eluting bound proteins from an Affi-gel blue gel column. Based on MALDI (matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization) mass spectrometric analysis, a previously identified mannose-binding lectin (MBL) called PvFRIL (Phaseolus vulgaris fetal liver tyrosine kinase 3-receptor interacting lectin) was present in this conidiation inducing fraction. The PvFRIL was subsequently purified using a single step mannose-agarose affinity column chromatography. When the lectin was applied exogenously to A. alternata, increased conidiation resulted. The conidia produced in response to the MBL were similar to those induced by other methods and their germ tubes were longer after 12 h growth than those induced under white light. To our knowledge this is the first report of exogenous application of a PvFRIL or another purified protein from a plant inducing conidia formation in a fungus.     

Age-stage,two-sex life table of the tomato looper,Chrysodeixis chalcites (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), on different bean cultivars

The tomato looper, Chrysodeixis chalcites (Esper), is one of the polyphagous pests of several economically crops worldwide. Two-sex life table parameters of C. chalcites reared on eight bean cultivars including white kidney bean (cultivars Daneshkadeh and Dehghan), red kidney bean (cultivars Goli and Naz), common bean (cultivars Khomein, Talash and Sadra) and cowpea (cultivar Mashhad) were studied under laboratory conditions (25 ± 1 °C, 65 ± 5 % RH, a 16:8-h light–dark photoperiod). The shortest larval period of C. chalcites was 14.15 days on common bean Sadra. The longest and shortest development time of total preadult was on white kidney bean Daneshkadeh and common bean Sadra (25.77 and 23.42 days, respectively). The highest total fecundity was on common bean Sadra (674.4 eggs), and the lowest was observed on white kidney bean Daneshkadeh (136.7 eggs). The intrinsic rate of increase (r _m ) ranged from 0.0976 to 0.1599 female/female/day, which was lowest on white kidney bean Daneshkadeh and highest on common bean Sadra. The net reproductive rate (R ₀) was highest on common bean Sadra (265.82 offspring) and lowest on white kidney bean Daneshkadeh (46.88 offspring). The results revealed that the cultivar Daneshkadeh was unsuitable host to C. chalcites in comparison to the other cultivars tested.     

A crude sword bean (Canavalia gladiata) extract is gelated by cooling

White sword bean (Canavalia gladiata) seeds have the potential to be utilized in the manufacturing of processed foods owing to their high protein and carbohydrate content. Our previous reports explored the use of the sword bean as a source of food materials by preparing extracts in distilled water. In the present study, we found that one such extract can be gelated by cooling. The gelling substances were extracted by boiling and simultaneously stirring a suspension containing ground beans. Few proteins were present in the gelated extract. We also examined the conditions under which gelation occurred and the gel melting temperature. The extract gelated at temperatures below 10 °C, and the resulting gel melted at those above 65 °C. This is the first report that gelling substances can be extracted from sword beans in large quantities. We expect that this gelling agent can be used for the production of processed foods.     

Exploration of biodegradation traits in dairy cows and protein spectroscopic features in microwaved and moist heated tannin and non-tannin Faba bean

The objective of this study was to explore if microwave irradiation and moist autoclaving treatments could change nutritive values, nutrients availability and protein inherent spectral structural characteristics in tannin (var. Fatima) and non-tannin (var. Snowbird) faba beans. An in situ approach with four cannulated dry Holstein dairy cows was applied in this study. The results showed that beans heated with microwave and autoclaving had increased contents of ether extract and neutral detergent insoluble CP and reduced soluble CP, sugar and tannin concentrations when compared with the raw seeds. Heating reduced degradable nutrients in the rumen and increased intestinally absorbable nutrients, but it failed to improve digestibility in total tract. All the results showed heating with moisture and pressure would be stronger and severer than microwave irradiation. The variety of faba bean interacted with thermal treatment on total truly intestinally absorbed protein value which showed to be highest in the microwaved brown faba bean and lowest in the unheated Snowbird bean. The degraded protein balance (OEB) value was significantly decreased after both kinds of heating process, suggesting that heating treatments could mitigate loss of nitrogen from the rumen to a large extent. We further collected spectral data using mid-IR spectroscopy and found heat processed beans had varied peak height and area ratios compared with raw beans. However, multivariate results implied that heating process failed to completely change the whole molecular conformation in the protein amide region. Correlations were found between ADF/ADL and spectral features, and the OEB value was negatively related to protein secondary structural α-helix. In conclusion, both faba beans were more sensitive to autoclaving treatment than microwave irradiation in terms of nutrient availability in ruminants.     

Effect of raw winged bean [Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC] tuber lectin on gastrointestinal tract of growing rats

The fraction containing high hemagglutinating activity was prepared from raw winged bean tubers and orally administered to growing rats. The food intake and body weights of these rats decreased as the level of lectin increased and significant lectin activity was detected in the faeces extracted from these rats which is anti-genically similar to the native lectin preparation. Microscopic examination has revealed morphological changes in the intestinal epithelial cells. The binding action of the lectin to the mucosal epithelia of the gastrointestinal tract is indicative of the deleterious effects caused by the winged bean tuber lectin.     

An Antibody to the Castor Bean Glyoxysomal Lipase (62 kD) also Binds to a 62 kD Protein in Extracts from Many Young Oilseed Plants

An antibody raised against purified glyoxysomal lipase (triacylglycerol hydrolase EC 3.1.1.3.) from castor bean (relative molecular weight of 62,000) also binds to a protein with a relative molecular weight of 62,000 in extracts of food reserve tissues from many young oilseed plants. These plants include Brassica napus L., Zea mays L., Arachis hypogaea L., Glycine max L., Gossipium hirsutum L., Cucurbita pepo L., Helianthus annuus L., Pisum sativum L., and Cicer arietinum L. The antibody caused inhibition of triacylglycerol hydrolysis by the lipases in extracts from seedlings of corn, oilseed rape, castor bean, soybean, and peanut. The pattern of antilipase binding to the 62 kilodalton protein in subcellular fractions from these other seedlings was consistent with the patterns of lipase activity reported in the literature and it is suggested that lipases from these oil seeds all have a subunit with a molecular weight of 62,000. The protein was only found in the food reserve tissues and was not present in extracts of roots and leaves of mature plants. In addition, the immunoreactive 62 kilodalton polypeptide was not detectable in lima beans and only at very low levels in kidney beans. Both these seeds are known to contain very little storage lipid and would not be expected to contain lipase. With the exception of the acid lipase of castor bean, ungerminated seeds do not generally contain active lipases. The immunoreactive 62 kilodalton protein could not be detected in the ungerminated seeds of most plants and only at very low low levels in others.     

Metalloenzyme inhibitor from kidney beans: partial purification and characterization

Inhibitory activity directed against metalloenzymes has been highly purified from extracts of red kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris). The inhibitor is a substance of small molecular weight and appears to be a chelator of Zn²⁺. One milligram of the preparation inhibited 23 milligrams carboxypeptidase A. The inhibitor also strongly inhibited carboxypeptidase B and alkaline phosphatase and could activate phosphoglucomutase that had previously been inactivated with Zn²⁺. The isoelectric point of the inhibitor is 4.7. The inhibitor activity was abolished by preincubation with Zn²⁺, Ni²⁺, Co²⁺, or Cu²⁺. The mechanism of inhibition of carboxypeptidases and alkaline phosphatase by the bean inhibitor is apparently due to the complexing and complete removal of Zn²⁺ from the enzymes.     

Purification of the phytohemagglutinin family of proteins from red kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) by affinity chromatography.

Half-gram quantities of phytohemagglutinin lectins are purified from saline extracts of red kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) by affinity absorption on porcine thyroglobulin-Sepharose. All of the mitogenic and erythroagglutinin activity of the saline extract is removed by this absorbent, and 74% of the original erythroagglutinating activity elutes from the affinity absorbent representing a 25-fold purification. Five distinct proteins appear in the polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the affinity absorbent eluate. Although all five proteins specifically bind to porcine thyroglobulin, the cathodal migrating proteins bind more strongly than the anodal migrating proteins. The most cathodal proteins are potent erythroagglutinins. This simple, efficient method is used to prepare all the active components of the phytohemagglutinin family in large yield and high purity.     

Induction of apoptosis in the grain aphid Sitobion avenae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) under the influence of phytohaemagglutinin PHA

In the current work, the toxicity and mechanism of phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), lectin isolated from the kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) to the grain aphid (Sitobion avenae F.) were studied. When S. avenae was fed an artificial diet containing the lectin PHA, toxicity assays indicated that fecundity decreased, the pre-reproductive period and generation time were prolonged, and mortality increased. To elucidate the mode of action of PHA, the interaction between the lectin and the insect gut was investigated. Interestingly, DNA fragmentation was observed in extract of gut of treated grain aphid, and this was accompanied by an increase in caspase-3 activity. Results indicate that the detrimental activity of PHA on S. avenae may involve effects on death of the gut epithelial cells.