Abstract
Sword beans (Canavalia gladiata) have been used as grain legumes and medicinal plants in China for thousands of years. To explore new natural antioxidant sources, the antioxidant capacity and phenolic composition in the soluble and bound fractions of three sword bean genotypes were evaluated in vitro. The red and black sword beans were found to have antioxidant capacity compared to the white sword bean, and this was attributed to their red and black bean coats, which possessed extremely high phenolic content. Gallic acid and its derivatives, such as methyl gallate, digalloyl hexoside and digallic acid, were the main phenolic compounds in the coats of red and black sword beans. Therefore, the red and black sword beans, especially their bean coats, are good sources of antioxidant phenolics and may have potential health benefits. Sword beans (Canavalia gladiata), one kind of lesser known and underutilised edible beans, have been used as a food and medicinal plant in China for thousands of years. The bean coats of red and black sword beans contain extremely high antioxidant phenolics, mainly gallic acid and its derivatives, which is unique in edible beans reported. Therefore, sword beans and their bean coats can be good sources of antioxidant phenolics and may have potential health benefits.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 156-162 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | International Journal of Food Science and Technology |
| Volume | 51 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 Jan 2016 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Antioxidant capacity
- Bound phenolics
- Gallic acid
- Phenolic composition
- Sword bean
- Total flavonoid content
- Total phenolic content