Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is considered an important source of proteins and many macro and micronutrients. It is known for its beneficial effects on human health and related pathologies, such as the reduction of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus, the prevention of different types of cancer and the control of some metabolic functions. Because of their characteristics, beans can be introduced in gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan diets, as optimal source of proteins. Moreover, they are an essential and complete staple food in many developing countries, where ‘hidden hunger’ is a critical challenge and where legumes represent one of the most common crops. Despite all their positive characteristics, beans also contain many antinutritional compounds, such as phytic acid and lectins, that may interfere with the absorption of essential minerals and the digestibility of some molecules, thus reducing their potentially elevated nutritional value. This is the reason why biofortification is important for the genetic improvement of beans. In the last decades most research tried, on the one hand, to develop approaches aimed at reducing seed antinutrients and improving their excellent properties and, on the other, to find possible ways to sensitize consumers to their regular consumption. For this purpose, not only well-tested technological methods (such as germination, extrusion and heat treatments) exist, but even genetic approaches, based on conventional and/or transgenic biofortification, are always more employed. Moreover, the introduction of beans into industrial popular products, especially snacks, may be useful to attract people and increase the use of legumes within different food formulations, so that all groups of consumers can benefit from the positive effects of common beans. This work had the aim of developing new biofortified products, characterized by an improved nutritional quality, reduced antinutritional fraction and appreciated by consumers. We tried to gain consumer’s acceptance through the production of traditional baked foods that are widely spread in the dietary habits of most people. These innovative products contained relatively high amounts of biofortified bean flours, produced on the basis of previous studies on genetically improved bean mutants. Phytic acid, a strong mineral binder, and toxic lectins (especially phytohemagglutinins) are considered to have the worst negative effects among all antinutritive compounds. For this reason, two common bean genotypes (lpa and lpa/lec-), characterized by absence of lectins and/or low phytic acid content, were used to obtain biofortified flours. Different baked products, crackers and biscuits, and a cream, were produced with these flours. They were analyzed to assess their sensory and biochemical properties and whether the genetic changes applied on the seed exerted their expected effect, and in which dimension, even after processing. This study demonstrated the importance of food technology in the development of novel foods and food ingredients. It also highlighted the efficiency of biofortification through genetic breeding in the obtainment of an improved and nutritionally valuable primary product. The feasibility of making nutritionally improved bean-based products was proven by the suitable functional properties of bean flours and verified by the possibility to have a total or partial retention of their nutritional attributes after baking. Both lpa and lpa/lec- genotypes showed their complete functionality in the final product, further enhanced by the P. vulgaris intrinsic properties, mainly related to its protein content and its positive involvement in the glycemic index modulation.
Il fagiolo (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) è un legume molto diffuso e considerato un'importante fonte di proteine e di diversi macro e micronutrienti essenziali. È noto per i suoi effetti benefici sulla salute umana, sulla prevenzione di patologie croniche, incluse quelle cardiovascolari, il diabete mellito e diversi tipi di cancro e sul controllo di alcune funzioni metaboliche. Grazie alle loro caratteristiche, i fagioli possono essere usati nelle diete gluten-free, vegetariane e vegane, come ottimi sostituti delle proteine animali. Inoltre, rappresentano un alimento di base essenziale e completo in molti paesi in via di sviluppo. Nonostante i loro effetti benefici, i fagioli contengono anche molti composti antinutrizionali, come l'acido fitico e le lectine, che possono interferire con l'assorbimento dei minerali essenziali e con la digeribilità di alcune molecole, riducendo così il loro potenzialmente elevato valore nutritivo. Questo è il motivo per cui la biofortificazione è importante per il miglioramento genetico di tali legumi. Le metodologie genetiche, basate sulla biofortificazione convenzionale e/o transgenica, sono sempre più impiegate. Inoltre, l'uso della farina di fagiolo nella formulazione di prodotti industriali molto diffusi e apprezzati può essere utile ad aumentare il suo uso all'interno di più svariati prodotti alimentari, in modo che tutti i gruppi di consumatori possano beneficiare degli effetti positivi di questo legume. Tale progetto di tesi ha avuto l'obiettivo di sviluppare nuovi prodotti biofortificati, caratterizzati da una migliore qualità nutritiva e da una ridotta frazione antinutrizionale che fossero allo stesso tempo apprezzati dai consumatori. Abbiamo cercato di ottenere l’approvazione dei consumatori attraverso la produzione di prodotti da forno tradizionali che fossero ampiamente diffusi nelle abitudini alimentari della maggior parte delle persone. Tali prodotti contenevano quantità relativamente elevate di farine di fagiolo biofortificate, prodotte sulla base di precedenti studi relativi a semi di fagiolo mutanti geneticamente migliorati. Si ritiene che l'acido fitico, un forte chelante di minerali, e le lectine (in particolare le fitoemoagglutinine), altamente tossiche per l’apparato gastro-intestinale, abbiano i peggiori effetti antinutrizionali. Per tale motivo il nostro progetto è stato incentrato sullo studio di due genotipi di fagiolo, lpa e lpa/lec-, caratterizzati da assenza di lectine e/o da un basso contenuto di acido fitico, usati per la produzione di farine. Con queste farine sono stati ottenuti dei crackers, dei biscotti e una crema. Tali prodotti sono stati analizzati, utilizzando gli stessi alimenti prodotti usando una farina di fagiolo non modificato come controllo, per valutarne le proprietà biochimiche e sensoriali e per capire se i cambiamenti genetici applicati al seme avessero effettivamente esercitato l'effetto atteso, e in quale misura, anche dopo la sua lavorazione. Tramite le analisi abbiamo dimostrato l'importanza della tecnologia alimentare nello sviluppo di nuovi alimenti e ingredienti funzionali. Abbiamo inoltre potuto evidenziare l'efficacia della biofortificazione nell'ottenimento di un prodotto primario migliorato e nutrizionalmente prezioso. Lo sviluppo di prodotti a base di fagiolo è stato possibile grazie alle adeguate proprietà funzionali delle farine, le quali hanno dimostrato di conservare totalmente o parzialmente le proprie proprietà nutritive dopo la cottura. Entrambi i genotipi lpa e lpa/lec- hanno mostrato la loro completa funzionalità nel prodotto finito, ulteriormente potenziata dalle proprietà intrinseche del legume, principalmente legate al suo contenuto proteico e al suo positivo coinvolgimento nella modulazione dell'indice glicemico.
Exploitation of innovative common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) flours to produce novel fortified foods
GIOFRÈ, SILVIA
2019/2020
Abstract
Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is considered an important source of proteins and many macro and micronutrients. It is known for its beneficial effects on human health and related pathologies, such as the reduction of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus, the prevention of different types of cancer and the control of some metabolic functions. Because of their characteristics, beans can be introduced in gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan diets, as optimal source of proteins. Moreover, they are an essential and complete staple food in many developing countries, where ‘hidden hunger’ is a critical challenge and where legumes represent one of the most common crops. Despite all their positive characteristics, beans also contain many antinutritional compounds, such as phytic acid and lectins, that may interfere with the absorption of essential minerals and the digestibility of some molecules, thus reducing their potentially elevated nutritional value. This is the reason why biofortification is important for the genetic improvement of beans. In the last decades most research tried, on the one hand, to develop approaches aimed at reducing seed antinutrients and improving their excellent properties and, on the other, to find possible ways to sensitize consumers to their regular consumption. For this purpose, not only well-tested technological methods (such as germination, extrusion and heat treatments) exist, but even genetic approaches, based on conventional and/or transgenic biofortification, are always more employed. Moreover, the introduction of beans into industrial popular products, especially snacks, may be useful to attract people and increase the use of legumes within different food formulations, so that all groups of consumers can benefit from the positive effects of common beans. This work had the aim of developing new biofortified products, characterized by an improved nutritional quality, reduced antinutritional fraction and appreciated by consumers. We tried to gain consumer’s acceptance through the production of traditional baked foods that are widely spread in the dietary habits of most people. These innovative products contained relatively high amounts of biofortified bean flours, produced on the basis of previous studies on genetically improved bean mutants. Phytic acid, a strong mineral binder, and toxic lectins (especially phytohemagglutinins) are considered to have the worst negative effects among all antinutritive compounds. For this reason, two common bean genotypes (lpa and lpa/lec-), characterized by absence of lectins and/or low phytic acid content, were used to obtain biofortified flours. Different baked products, crackers and biscuits, and a cream, were produced with these flours. They were analyzed to assess their sensory and biochemical properties and whether the genetic changes applied on the seed exerted their expected effect, and in which dimension, even after processing. This study demonstrated the importance of food technology in the development of novel foods and food ingredients. It also highlighted the efficiency of biofortification through genetic breeding in the obtainment of an improved and nutritionally valuable primary product. The feasibility of making nutritionally improved bean-based products was proven by the suitable functional properties of bean flours and verified by the possibility to have a total or partial retention of their nutritional attributes after baking. Both lpa and lpa/lec- genotypes showed their complete functionality in the final product, further enhanced by the P. vulgaris intrinsic properties, mainly related to its protein content and its positive involvement in the glycemic index modulation.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12075/4311