REVIEW article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition and Food Science Technology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1658338
Consumer Traits of Common Beans: A Global and Regional Perspective on Seed Coat Darkening, Cooking Time, Protein, and Mineral Content
Provisionally accepted
- 1Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI), Dodoma, Tanzania
- 2Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology Water Infrastructure and Sustainable Energy Futures, Arusha, Tanzania
- 3Alliance of Bioversity International and International Center for Tropical Agriculture - Africa Hub, Arusha, Tanzania
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Common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) are a cornerstone of global nutrition, offering a sustainable source of protein, micronutrients, and bioactive compounds. This review synthesizes current research on critical consumer traits—seed coat darkening, cooking time, protein, and mineral content— highlighting their genetic, biochemical, and environmental determinants. Seed coat darkening, driven by proanthocyanidin oxidation and regulated by genes like J, sd, and Psd, significantly impacts marketability, while cooking time variations (19–271 minutes across genotypes) influence regional preferences and nutritional outcomes. Biofortification and low-phytic acid (lpa) breeding strategies enhance mineral bioavailability, addressing deficiencies in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Regional disparities in consumer preferences, such as the demand for fast-cooking yellow beans in East Africa, underscore the need for tailored breeding programs. Climate change poses challenges to yield and nutrient retention, necessitating climate-resilient varieties. This review proposes integrating genomics, marker-assisted selection, and postharvest innovations, for developing beans that align with consumer needs, cultural practices, and sustainability goals. This is the first synthesis linking seed coat biochemistry to regional preferences
Keywords: Proanthocyanidins, Seed coat darkening, Cooking time, protein content, mineral content
Received: 03 Jul 2025; Accepted: 28 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 MBIU, Philipo and Mammo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: JULIUS PETER MBIU, Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI), Dodoma, Tanzania
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