The increasing need for new treatments for obesity and diabetes has led to the development of new drugs and food supplements that could reduce carbohydrate absorption. Many starch blockers, based on common bean proteinaceous inhibitors against α-amylase (α-AI), are already present on the market. The extraction and purification of α-amylase inhibitor from a promising common bean cultivar from Sardinia (Nieddone) is described, highlighting the unique value of the Nieddone cultivar, particularly for its inhibitory activity on digestive enzymes and its complete lack of a hemagglutination effect on human red blood cells. The purification of α-AI involved two chromatographic steps (IEC and SEC) and was essential for revealing certain properties of the inhibitor. The purified inhibitor has a tetrameric structure (α2β2) and a molecular weight of approximately 42 kDa, as determined by SEC and SDS-PAGE, confirming it as a lectin-like inhibitor. The identification of the α-AI sequence was obtained by bottom-up high-resolution mass spectrometry, which allowed us to identify a unique peptide from the α chain and six unique peptides from the β chains. α-AI exhibited an optimum temperature of around 40 °C and two pH optima at 5 and 6.5, respectively. Its remarkable stability at high temperatures was measured (approximately 25% of activity retained even after 5 h at 100 °C), whereas the raw extract lost its activity entirely after just 10 min at 90 °C. Thus, the purification process significantly enhances the thermal stability of α-AI. The demonstrated effectiveness of the purified α-AI against the α-amylase enzyme in pigs, humans and insects underscores the protein\'s potential for treating obesity and diabetes, as well as for managing insect pests.

The significance of sample grinding is frequently disregarded during the development of analytical methods, which are often validated with spiked samples that may not accurately reflect incurred residues. This study investigated the particle size of ground beans as a key factor in optimizing extraction efficiency in order to develop a simple quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS)-based modified method for identifying 380 pesticides in beans using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The efficacy of pesticide extraction was found to be significantly affected by particle size. With small particle sizes (>40 mesh), no supernatant was recovered after QuEChERS partitioning. Therefore, a simple modification was performed before partitioning. The modified method was validated for selective extraction of pesticides, limits of quantification, linearity, accuracy, and precision. This method is simple to implement and, therefore, useful for the analysis of pesticide residues in beans.

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This paper presents a tutorial for the germination of bean seeds (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) in strong electrostatic fields up to 1240 V/cm. The seeds were allowed to germinate under different electric field strengths for 48 h. Although most of such germination experiments did not show any visible effect, the field strength of 945 V/cm strongly increased the seedling\'s vigor during the early growth stage. In the end, 30 % more yield was obtained from stimulated seeds when compared to the control group. This article postulates for the first time a hypothesis of the mechanism of action of the electric field during germination. In biological cells of any species, water confined between narrow surfaces can undergo a phase transition that shifts its melting point to higher temperatures when an external electric field is applied. This effect has already been known as electrofreezing, and has been confirmed by several experimental and molecular modeling studies. As a consequence, the transport kinetics of molecules across cell organelle membranes might be altered, which in turn leads to different plant properties. With emphasis on the presented method, this work reports: •An inexpensive electric circuit for the generation of strong electric fields•Instructions regarding the setup and operation of an adequate germination chamber.

Photosynthesis drives plant physiology, biomass accumulation, and yield. Photosynthetic efficiency, specifically the operating efficiency of PSII (Fq\'/Fm\'), is highly responsive to actual growth conditions, especially to fluctuating photosynthetic photon fluence rate (PPFR). Under field conditions, plants constantly balance energy uptake to optimize growth. The dynamic regulation complicates the quantification of cumulative photochemical energy uptake based on the intercepted solar energy, its transduction into biomass, and the identification of efficient breeding lines. Here, we show significant effects on biomass related to genetic variation in photosynthetic efficiency of 178 climbing bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) lines. Under fluctuating conditions, the Fq\'/Fm\' was monitored throughout the growing period using hand-held and automated chlorophyll fluorescence phenotyping. The seasonal response of Fq\'/Fm\' to PPFR (ResponseG:PPFR) achieved significant correlations with biomass and yield, ranging from 0.33 to 0.35 and from 0.22 to 0.31 in two glasshouse and three field trials, respectively. Phenomic yield prediction outperformed genomic predictions for new environments in four trials under different growing conditions. Investigating genetic control over photosynthesis, one single nucleotide polymorphism (Chr09_37766289_13052) on chromosome 9 was significantly associated with ResponseG:PPFR in proximity to a candidate gene controlling chloroplast thylakoid formation. In conclusion, photosynthetic screening facilitates and accelerates selection for high yield potential.

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Phaseolus vulgaris α-amylase inhibitor (α-AI) is a protein that has recently gained commercial interest, as it inhibits mammalian α-amylase activity, reducing the absorption of dietary carbohydrates. Numerous studies have reported the efficacy of preparations based on this protein on the control of glycaemic peaks in type-2 diabetes patients and in overweight subjects. A positive influence on microbiota regulation has also been described. In this work, ten insufficiently studied Italian P. vulgaris cultivars were screened for α-amylase- and α-glucosidase-inhibiting activity, as well as for the absence of antinutritional compounds, such as phytohemagglutinin (PHA). All the cultivars presented α-glucosidase-inhibitor activity, while α-AI was missing in two of them. Only the Nieddone cultivar (ACC177) had no haemagglutination activity. In addition, the partial nucleotide sequence of the α-AI gene was identified with the degenerate hybrid oligonucleotide primer (CODEHOP) strategy to identify genetic variability, possibly linked to functional α-AI differences, expression of the α-AI gene, and phylogenetic relationships. Molecular studies showed that α-AI was expressed in all the cultivars, and a close similarity between the Pisu Grogu and Fasolu cultivars\' α-AI and α-AI-4 isoform emerged from the comparison of the partially reconstructed primary structures. Moreover, mechanistic models revealed the interaction network that connects α-AI with the α-amylase enzyme characterized by two interaction hotspots (Asp38 and Tyr186), providing some insights for the analysis of the α-AI primary structure from the different cultivars, particularly regarding the structure-activity relationship. This study can broaden the knowledge about this class of proteins, fuelling the valorisation of Italian agronomic biodiversity through the development of commercial preparations from legume cultivars.

Bioactive lipophilic compounds were investigated in 14 leguminous tree species of timber, agroforestry, medicinal or ornamental use but little industrial significance to elucidate their potential in food additive and supplement production. The tree species investigated were: Acacia auriculiformis, Acacia concinna, Albizia lebbeck, Albizia odoratissima, Bauhinia racemosa, Cassia fistula, Dalbergia latifolia, Delonix regia, Entada phaseoloides, Hardwickia binata, Peltophorum pterocarpum, Senegalia catechu, Sesbania sesban and Vachellia nilotica. The hexane-extracted oils of ripe seeds were chromatographically analysed for their fatty acid composition (GC-MS), tocochromanol (RP-HPLC/FLD), squalene and sterol (GC-FID) content. A spectrophotometrical method was used to determine total carotenoid content. The results showed generally low oil yield (1.75-17.53%); the highest was from H. binata. Linoleic acid constituted the largest proportion in all samples (40.78 to 62.28% of total fatty acids), followed by oleic (14.57-34.30%) and palmitic (5.14-23.04%) acid. The total tocochromanol content ranged from 100.3 to 367.6 mg 100 g-1 oil. D. regia was the richest and the only to contain significant amount of tocotrienols while other oils contained almost exclusively tocopherols, dominated by either α-tocopherol or γ-tocopherol. The total carotenoid content was highest in A. auriculiformis (23.77 mg 100 g-1), S. sesban (23.57 mg 100 g-1) and A. odoratissima (20.37 mg 100 g-1), and ranged from 0.7 to 23.7 mg 100 g-1 oil. The total sterol content ranged from 240.84 to 2543 mg 100 g-1; A. concinna seed oil was the richest by a wide margin; however, its oil yield was very low (1.75%). Either β-sitosterol or Δ5-stigmasterol dominated the sterol fraction. Only C. fistula oil contained a significant amount of squalene (303.1 mg 100 g-1) but was limited by the low oil yield as an industrial source of squalene. In conclusion, A. auriculiformis seeds may hold potential for the production of carotenoid-rich oil, and H. binata seed oil has relatively high yield and tocopherol content, marking it as a potential source of these compounds.

Plant extracts and essential oils are considered alternatives to synthetic chemicals with toxic effects on insects and mites. Acaricidal, repellent, and oviposition effects of commercially available essential oils of Origanum vulgare L. (Lamiaceae) and Syzygium aromaticum (L.) (Myrtaceae) were investigated in this study on Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), one of the main pests in agriculture, on two host plant species using leaf disc bioassays. O. vulgare essential oil showed higher toxicity to T. urticae protonymphs and adult females inhabiting both bean and tomato leaves than S. aromaticum essential oil. The LC50 values of O. vulgare essential oil were found to be 1.67 and 2.05 µl L-1 air for the bean populations in protonymphs and adult females and 1.87 and 3.07 µl L-1 air for the tomato populations, respectively. Five percent concentration of S. aromaticum essential oil had the highest repellent effect on the bean population of T. urticae after 1, 24, and 48 h, resulting in 61.22%, 40.81%, and 18% repellence, respectively. Although O. vulgare showed higher toxic effects, S. aromaticum was a better repellent against the bean population of T. urticae. The mortality rates of adult females of T. urticae treated with either O. vulgare or S. aromaticum essential oil increased with the increasing concentration and time on both host plants. Both essential oils caused a decrease in egg number and larvae hatching in both bean and tomato populations of T. urticae. In the light of the results obtained, O. vulgare and S. aromatium essential oils have the potential to be used in the control programs against T. urticae in both host plants.

Legumes are dicotyledonous plants, and they represent the third-largest plant family seeds distributed glo-bally. This study aimed to develop a lexicon for seven well-known legumes: kidney bean, mung bean, chickpea, green kernel black bean, black bean, soybean, and red bean. A sensory lexicon describing the aroma characteristics of legumes was developed, and the intensity of each aroma attribute was evaluated using a 15-point universal scale in SpectrumTM. Nine aroma terms were developed: boiled egg yolk, bean sprout, chicken breast, boiled chestnut, soymilk, green bean, raw peanut shell, soil odor, and mango. The lexicon identified nine descriptions for the sensory characteristics of legumes. Kidney bean, mung bean, and red bean had high green bean, bean sprout, and soil odor aromas, whereas soybean, green kernel black bean, black bean, and chickpea had strong boiled egg yolk, boiled chestnut, and chicken breast aromas. These results can aid food product developers with flavor optimization in product formulation.