Mineral, Fatty Acid, Flavonoid, and Isoflavonoid Variability In Lablab Purpureus L. Accessions.

Hyacinth bean, Lablab purpureus is an underutilized legume used as a bean vegetable worldwide. The USDA, ARS, PGRCU conserves 137 hyacinth bean accessions from countries worldwide. To determine the possibility of hyacinth bean providing dietary minerals, fatty acids, and health enhancing nutraceuticals including flavonoids and isoflavonoids for humans, 12 diverse hyacinth bean accessions originating from Australia, Brazil, China, former Soviet Union, India, U.S., and Zambia were grown at the USDA, ARS, PGRCU research farm in Griffin, GA. Seed from twelve hyacinth bean accessions were evaluated for mineral, fatty acid, flavonoid, and isoflavonoid variability during 2008 and 2009. Mineral concentrations across these 12 hyacinth bean accessions for the macronutrients ranged from 0.39 to 16.60 mg/g while micronutrient  concentrations ranged from -2.80 µg/g to 120.65 µg/g during 2008 and 2009. Flavonoid concentrations among hyacinth bean accessions ranged from 0 to 24.2 µg/g (myricetin), 0 to 59 µg/g (quercetin), 0 to 13.61 µg/g (kaempferol), and the isoflavonoid concentration for daidzein ranged from 0 to 4.86 µg/g during 2008 and 2009. Unsaturated fatty acid percentages ranged from 0.19% to 56.6% while saturated fatty acid percentages ranged from 0.20% to 21.56% both years. Variability for several minerals, flavonoids, and fatty acids has been identified in hyacinth bean and can be used in breeding programs or as a new cultivated legume for sub-tropical and tropical regions throughout the world.