Regiospecific Profiles of Fatty Acids in Triacylglycerols and Phospholipids from Adzuki Beans (Vigna angularis)

Obtaining an Oily Ingredient Rich in PUFAS and Tocopherols and a High-Nutritional-Value Flour from Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) by Supercritical CO2 Extraction

The objective of this work was to carry out a preliminary study of the fractionation by supercritical CO2 (sc-CO2) extraction of two varieties of Peruvian beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), white (WB) and red (RB), to obtain two novel products: an oil rich in essential fatty acids and tocopherols and a defatted flour with high nutritional value and amino acids. The extraction temperature and pressure were optimized using the response surface methodology (RSM) and the extraction kinetics were optimized using the Spline equation. The results revealed that the best extraction conditions for WB and RB were 396.36 Bar, 40.46 °C, with an efficiency of 1.65%; and 391.995 Bar, 44.00 °C, with an efficiency of 1.12%, respectively. The WB and RB oils presented a high degree of polyunsaturation (63.2 and 52.8%, respectively), with oleic, linoleic, and linolenic fatty acids prevailing. Gamma-tocopherol was the predominant antioxidant in both oils. The residual flours (WB and RB) obtained after extraction with sc-CO2 had a high average content of proteins (23%), carbohydrates (61%), and minerals (3%). The limiting amino acids of WB were: Fen + Tyr, Leu, Lys, and in RB, only Leu was limiting. The viscosity of the solutions (20%) of the WB and RB flours mainly adjusted to the Waele's Ostwald model (r = 0.988). It is concluded that both products (oil and bean flour) obtained in an optimized manner using an eco-friendly technology with sc-CO2 have high nutrient and bioactive component content and can be used in the development of new ingredients and healthy foods of plant origin.

Lipid Composition Analysis and Characterization of Acyl Sterol Glycosides in Adzuki and Soybean Cultivars by Non-Targeted LC-MS

Beans, a globally significant economic and nutritional food crop, are rich in polyphenolic chemicals with potential health advantages, providing high protein, fiber, minerals, and vitamins. However, studies on the global profiling of lipids in beans are limited. We applied a non-targeted lipidomic approach based on high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (HPLC/LTQ-Orbitrap-MS) to comprehensively profile and compare the lipids in six distinct bean cultivars, namely, adzuki red beans-adzuki cultivar (ARB-AC), adzuki red beans-Benidainagon cultivar (ARB-BC), adzuki red beans-Erimoshouzu cultivar (ARB-EC), soybean-Fukuyutaka cultivar 2021 (SB-FC21), soybean-Fukuyutaka cultivar 2022 (SB-FC22), and soybean-Oosuzu cultivar (SB-OC). MS/MS analysis defined 144 molecular species from four main lipid groups. Multivariate principal component analysis indicated unique lipid compositions in the cultivars except for ARB-BC and ARB-EC. Evaluation of the concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acid to saturated fatty acid ratio among all the cultivars showed that SB-FC21 and SB-FC22 had the highest value, suggesting they are the most beneficial for health. Furthermore, lipids such as acyl sterol glycosides were detected and characterized for the first time in these bean cultivars. Hierarchical cluster correlations revealed the predominance of ceramides in ARB-EC, lysophospholipids in SB-FC21, and glycerophospholipids in SB-OC. This study comprehensively investigated lipids and their compositions in beans, indicating their potential utility in the nutritional evaluation of beans as functional foods.

Nutritional Compositions, Phenolic Contents, and Antioxidant Potentials of Ten Original Lineage Beans in Thailand

Legumes and pulses are nutrient-dense foods providing a good source of protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds. To breed a new lineage of beans with specific nutritional and health beneficial purposes, more information on original lineage beans must be obtained. However, data concerning the nutritive compositions, total phenolic contents (TPCs), and health benefits regarding the antioxidant potentials of some original lineage beans in Thailand remain scarce, causing difficulty in decisional selection to breed a new lineage. Thus, this study aimed to examine the nutritional values (proximate compositions, vitamins, and minerals), TPCs, and antioxidant activities of ten original lineage bean cultivars in Glycine, Phaseolus, and Vigna genera from Genebank, Department of Agriculture (DOA), Thailand. The results indicated that beans in the Glycine genus potentially provided higher energy, protein, fat, and calcium contents than other genera, while the Phaseolus genus tended to provide higher carbohydrate and dietary fiber. Specifically, lima bean cultivar ‘38’ exhibited high vitamin B1, and red kidney bean cultivar ‘112’ exhibited high potassium content. Beans in the Vigna genus exhibited high TPCs and antioxidant activities. However, their nutritional compositions were markedly varied. The results of this work could support bean consumption as a feasible alternative diet and be used as a reference for future bean breeding (within the same genera) of a new lineage with particular nutritional requirements and health potentials.

Regio-distribution and double bond locations of unsaturated fatty acids in phospholipids of bovine milk

Hundreds of phospholipid (PL) species with defined fatty acid (FA) composition have been identified previously in bovine milk using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Paterno-Buchi photochemical reaction coupled with LC-MS/MS was applied in this study to further unravel the regio-distribution and double bond (DB) locations of FAs. Using SPE-purified PLs and 2-acetylpyridine as the photochemical derivatization reagent, we were able to reveal the non-specific regio-distribution of unsaturated FAs and the widespread occurrence of regioisomers in milk PLs. Although Δ9 and Δ9,12 were found to be the predominant DB location(s) for C18:1 and C18:2 respectively, other DB positional isomers such as C18:1Δ11, C18:1Δ12 and C18:1Δ13 and C18:2Δ9,11 were widely detected in PL structures, implying that the minor isomers of C18:1 and C18:2 equally participate in the synthesis of PLs. Our study provides novel information on the fine structure of milk PLs and further underlines the complexity of milk lipid composition.

Effect of Lactic Acid Bacteria on the Lipid Profile of Bean-Based Plant Substitute of Fermented Milk

Biological processes of legumes may change their nutritional value of lipids, but there is no research on the fatty acid profile and their position distribution in fermented beverages obtained from germinated bean seeds. The present study aimed to determine the effect of fermentation by Lactobacillus strains on the fatty acid profile and their positional distribution in triacylglycerols of beverage obtained from germinated bean “Piękny Jaś Karłowy” (Phaseolus vulgaris) fermented by Lactobacillus strains. The population of lactobacilli (the pour plate method), pH, the fatty acid profile (gas chromatograph with a flame ionization detector), and the positional distribution of fatty acids in triacylglycerols (GC-FID) were determined before and after the fermentation of received beverages. The fermentation of beverages did not change the lactobacilli population (over 7 log₁₀ CFU/g), but changed pH (to 4.7–3.7 or 5.8–5.6), fatty acid profile, and the positional distribution of fatty acids were observed. The fermentation process contributed to an increase in the share of palmitic, stearic, and oleic acids in the fatty acid profile compared to that in raw bean seeds. The fermentation processes changed the share of individual acids in positions sn–1 and sn–3 depending on Lactobacillus strain used. Compared to non-fermented beverages, in most fermented beverages, a lower share of palmitic and stearic acids, as well as a higher share of oleic acid in the sn–2 were observed.

Exploration of natural phosphatidylcholine sources from six beans by UHPLC-Q-HRMS

Beans are a rich source of phosphatidylcholine (PC). This study aims to explore natural PC sources rich in polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) with nutritional interest. PCs from six beans were purified (purity > 98.2%) by thin layer chromatography (TLC), and subsequently identified by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-Quadrupole (Q)-high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-HRMS). Results showed that the PC content of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) and soybean (Glycine max) was 50.0 and 34.0 mg/g, respectively, which was significantly higher than that of other beans (P < 0.05). Gas chromatographic analysis showed that soybean contained high proportion of PUFA (58.78%), and chickpea contained high proportion of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (2.73%). A total of 49 molecular species were identified by UHPLC-Q-HRMS. (18:2-18:2)PC was predominant in soybean, adzuki bean, runner bean, and common bean. (16:0-18:1)PC was the major species of chickpea PC, and many ether PC species and DHA-PC were identified. Discriminatory analysis by principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that the molecular profiles of chickpea PC were significantly different from other beans studied. The findings suggest that chickpea appears to be an interesting plant source of DHA and ether lipids for dietary supplement. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: In this study, we reported an UHPLC-Q-HRMS technique to identify PC molecular species of six beans. The diversity of PC molecular species in the different beans was classified using chemometrics. This analytical method not only provides comprehensive information to nutritionists about the PC distribution in different beans, but also can identify biomarkers for bean flour fraud identification in food supplementation. Furthermore, the approach gives fragmentation patterns of several PC species and could be further applied to determine the chemical structure of PC molecular species from many natural resources.

Safety and efficacy of adzuki bean extract in subjects with moderate to high LDL-C: a randomized trial

The safety and efficacy of polyphenol-containing adzuki bean extract on lipid metabolism were evaluated in human subjects in an 8-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel intervention study. No adverse effects were observed in the participants receiving adzuki bean extract. The adzuki bean group showed a significant increase in the ΔHDL-C concentration compared with the placebo group after 4 weeks of intervention (3.76 ± 7.79 mg/dL vs. -0.08 ± 6.03 mg/dL), respectively, and both groups showed reduced ∆HDL-C concentrations, with the adzuki bean extract group showing a return to the baseline levels (0.36 ± 5.36 mg/dL) and the placebo group showing a decrease to below the baseline levels (-3.17 ± 7.79 mg/dL) at week 8. This short-term study represents the first step in establishing the practicality, safety, and plausibility of HDL-C maintaining effects of adzuki bean extract in human subjects.

Positional-Species Composition of Diacylglycerol Acetates from Mature Euonymus Seeds

The positional-species composition (PSC) of 3-acetyl-1,2-diacyl-sn-glycerols (AcDAGs) from the seeds of mature fruits of 14 species of the genus Euonymus L. was established. The residues of six major fatty acids (FAs), palmitic (P), stearic (St), hexadecenoic (H), octadecenoic (O), linoleic (L), and linolenic (Ln), were present in the AcDAGs. Here, we demonstrated that the profile of PSC of AcDAGs could serve as chemotaxonomic factor to divide euonymus species studied here into groups which completely correlate with the present day systematic of the genus. In particular, the Euonymus section greatly exceeded other sections of the Euonymus subgenus as well as the Kalonymus one in the total levels of AcDAGs positional species having one and two O residues and was characterized by significantly lesser concentrations of species with one and two L residues. Moreover, in seed, AcDAGs of almost all Euonymus species EFL values were slightly higher than EFO ones, but all EFL and EFO values were higher than 1.0, and therefore, it can be concluded that both FAs mainly esterified sn-2-position of the glycerol moiety and saturated FAs residues were always virtually absent in the sn-2 position of Euonymus seed AcDAGs, as it is also the case in nearly all TAGs molecules of plant origin.

Genomics and molecular breeding in lesser explored pulse crops: current trends and future opportunities

Pulses are multipurpose crops for providing income, employment and food security in the underprivileged regions, notably the FAO-defined low-income food-deficit countries. Owing to their intrinsic ability to endure environmental adversities and the least input/management requirements, these crops remain central to subsistence farming. Given their pivotal role in rain-fed agriculture, substantial research has been invested to boost the productivity of these pulse crops. To this end, genomic tools and technologies have appeared as the compelling supplement to the conventional breeding. However, the progress in minor pulse crops including dry beans (Vigna spp.), lupins, lablab, lathyrus and vetches has remained unsatisfactory, hence these crops are often labeled as low profile or lesser researched. Nevertheless, recent scientific and technological breakthroughs particularly the next generation sequencing (NGS) are radically transforming the scenario of genomics and molecular breeding in these minor crops. NGS techniques have allowed de novo assembly of whole genomes in these orphan crops. Moreover, the availability of a reference genome sequence would promote re-sequencing of diverse genotypes to unlock allelic diversity at a genome-wide scale. In parallel, NGS has offered high-resolution genetic maps or more precisely, a robust genetic framework to implement whole-genome strategies for crop improvement. As has already been demonstrated in lupin, sequencing-based genotyping of the representative sample provided access to a number of functionally-relevant markers that could be deployed straight away in crop breeding programs. This article attempts to outline the recent progress made in genomics of these lesser explored pulse crops, and examines the prospects of genomics assisted integrated breeding to enhance and stabilize crop yields.

Lipidomics applications in health, disease and nutrition research

The structural and functional diversity of lipids accounts for their involvement into a wide range of homeostatic processes and disease states, including lifestyle-related diseases as well as genetic conditions. Challenges presented by this diversity have been addressed to a great extent by the development of lipidomics, a platform that makes possible the detailed profiling and characterisation of lipid species present in any cell, organelle, tissue or body fluid, and allows for a wider appreciation of the biological role of lipid networks. Progress in the field of lipidomics has been greatly facilitated by recent advances in MS and includes a range of analytical platforms supporting applications spanning from qualitative and quantitative assessment of multiple species to lipid imaging. Here we review these MS techniques currently in routine use in lipidomics, alongside with new ones that have started making an impact in the field. Recent applications in health, disease and nutrition-related questions will also be discussed with a view to convey the importance of lipidomics contributions to biosciences and food technology.

Review: multistage mass spectrometry in quality, safety and origin of foods

Quality and safety control and the validation of origin are hot issues in the production of food and its distribution, and are of primary concern to food and agriculture organization. Modern mass spectrometry (MS) provides unique, reliable and affordable methodologies to approach with a high degree of scientificity any problem which may be posed in this field. In this review the contribution of mass spectrometry to food analysis is presented aiming at providing clues on the fundamental role of the basic principles of gas-phase ion chemistry in applied research fields. Applications in proteomics, allergonomics, glycomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, food safety and traceability have been surveyed. The high level of specificity and sensitivity of the MS approach allows the characterization of food components and contaminants present at ultra-trace levels, providing a distinctive and safe validation of the products.