Nutritional and Mineral Variability in 52 Accessions of Common Bean Varieties (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) from Madeira Island

The Phaseolus vulgaris L. is one of the traditional and most important leguminous crops in the Island of Madeira. The island’s bioclimatic tiers, agro-ecological environment and traditional farming practices had a great influence on the evolution of regional bean landraces. The variability of the nutritional and mineral seeds composition of 59 accessions of the Madeiran landraces, standard and commercial varieties was evaluated. Wide ranges of variability in biochemical parameters were reported among the Madeiran landraces, being the best sources of protein and mineral nutrition, according to the statistical results and literature comparative evaluation. Specifically, the content (g per 100 g DW) of ash ranged from 3.64 5.67, lipids from 0.57 2.86, protein from 18.55 29.69, starch from 23.40 52.65, soluble sugars from 2.97 6.84, while content of dry matter was from 83.35 93.55. The seeds also contained (per 100 g DW) between 2.55 4.83 g N, 0.30 7.50 g P, 1.30 2.49 g K, 0.10 0.18 g Mg, 4.10 10.00 mg Fe, 50.0 1.40 mg Cu, 2.20 5.00 mg Zn, 0.90 3.80 μg Mn and 0.20 2.40 μg B. This variability implies that the screened germplasm could serve as a source for breeding new varieties with improved biochemical and nutritional traits or could be highly recommended to meet specific dietary requirements. The cultivar Vaginha Grossa (ISOP 713) revealed low carbohydrate content that could be a good food choice for diabetics, while cultivar Vermelho (ISOP 724) bean should be offered as a valuable alternative source of protein and minerals in the local diet. Corresponding author. C. S. S. Gouveia et al. 318