International Journal of Health Sciences and Research www.ijhsr.org ISSN: 2249-9571 Review Article Adzuki Beans- Physical and Nutritional Characteristics of Beans and Its Health Benefits Srishti Agarwal1, Ekta Singh Chauhan2 1Research Scholar, 2Associate Professor, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Banasthali Vidyapith, Rajasthan, India Corresponding Author: Ekta Singh Chauhan ABSTRACT Adzuki (Vigna angularis) has been grown and consumed by humans for centuries in various parts of the world like China. However, adzuki’s global use for human consumption has been restrained partly due to limited knowledge about its nutrient composition and the processing challenges faced in making adzuki-based food products. Over the past decade, the recognition that Vigna angularis is gluten-free has raised global interest. Consequently, literature on the nutritional composition, processing quality, and health benefits of adzuki has grown considerably. The existing literature suggests that adzuki is composed of complex carbohydrates with slowly digestible starch. Adzuki has similar protein content to other more common cereals like wheat, but is relatively richer than other cereals in the essential amino acid lysine. Adzuki is also a good source of essential fatty acids, fiber, minerals (especially calcium and iron), and phytochemicals such as polyphenols and phytates. Existing studies of the nutrition and health benefits of adzuki are limited since they fail to take into account differences in adzuki varieties and growing conditions. Nevertheless, the studies undertaken so far confirm adzuki’s excellent nutrient profile and suggest it has considerable potential globally to be a functional food for health promotion and disease prevention. Key words: China, polyphenols, amino acids, functional, digestible. INTRODUCTION they are not using few agricultural foods as Human genetic potential is main food despite of their high nutritional maximized by the nutritional well being quality. Beans are also one of such things which is also the driving force for that have many nutritious and medical development also. Thus to maintain human properties but underestimated (Yang et al, health and physical well being, nutritional 2012). Dried beans may supply to some of quality of food is most important parameter. the health enhancing nutrients associated (Radika et al, 2011). The problem of deep with plant based diets. Beans are important rooted malnutrition can be cured and overall source of protein and are rich in number of human health can be maximized by taking micronutrients, including potassium, into consideration the dietary quality of magnesium, folate, iron and zinc. food. To maintain the equilibrium with Vegetarians have important role of dried increasing yields and household techniques, beans in their diets because it contributes to diversification of food production must be some of the health benefits (Haddad and encouraged both at national and household Tanzman, 2003). level (Singh & Raghuvanshi, 2012). Adzuki bean (Vigna angularis) is Unawareness of people is to the extent that grown in more than 30 countries of the International Journal of Health Sciences & Research (www.ijhsr.org) 304 Vol.9; Issue: 4; April 2019 Srishti Agarwal et.al. Adzuki Beans- Physical and Nutritional Characteristics of Beans and Its Health Benefits world which is an important legume crop. confectioneries and sweet soups. They are Starch, digestible protein, mineral elements, available at costlier price than the Erimo and vitamins are abundantly present in (Yousif et al, 2007). adzuki beans. Adzuki bean (Vigna Existence of grooves, pits, or angularis) was majorly grown in East Asia) fissures make it irregular in shape, the usual (Kramer et al, 2012) and domesticated in shape is oval or spherical. There are deep China ∼12,000 year ago (Liu et al, 2013). fissures present in adzuki beans which can Several cultivators of Vigna angularis can be observed under polarised light. They are be referred as adzuki, azuki and small red caused by the way the granules are placed beans (Gohara et al, 2016). Adzuki beans within the protein matrix and this also acts are available in many varieties around the as a characteristic of adzuki starch granules. world depending on grain size and color, The adzuki beans are available in different harvest time, climate and region where it is colors starting from red to brown, black and cultivated. In Asiatic countries, variety of green, and different combinations of these foods can be prepared by millions of people colours. The red-purple colour is most using adzuki beans (e.g., paste in pastries, preferred in Japan, which is called “adzuki” desserts, cake, porridge, adzuki rice, jelly, after the name of the bean. The quality of adzuki milk, ice cream) (Lestari, 2014). adzuki beans may be determined by the Many traditional Japanese confections such shade, uniformity and degree of lightness of as amanatto, manju and youkan can also be color. prepared using this bean. It is believed in China that various medical ailments like Nutritional composition diuretic functions, and other disease such as The cereals have wide number of dropsy and beri beri can be treated using it chemical composition that depends on the (Yoshida et al, 2009). environmental conditions like variety of In this review, nutrient composition, soil, fertilizer used etc. The importance of physical and chemical characteristics of adzuki beans is not only due to its attractive adzuki are described. Recent research nutritional profile but also because it has no advances to solve these challenges are gluten that is found in other common cereals discussed. Finally, the potential health such as wheat, barley and rye. As more and benefits that could be associated with higher more patients are diagnosed with gluten consumption of adzuki are highlighted. intolerance and celiac disease, the demand for gluten-free foods is also growing. Physical characteristics Carbohydrate There are at least 60 varieties of adzuki bean The major source of energy for are present on the basis of their seed size human body is carbohydrate and it plays an ranging from 5 to 8 mm in length and 3 to 5 essential role in metabolism and in the mm in width. These may be divided into process of homeostasis. Carbohydrates can two main categories: be classified into sugars, oligosaccharides, • Small size- They are the regular seeds starch (amylose, amylopectin), and non- which have dimension of >4.2 to<4.8 mm in starch polysaccharides on the basis of its length. It is called Erimo type. Ann is molecular size and degree of mainly processed by this type of bean, polymerization. The amylose and resistant which can be eaten as a sweet and is used as starch contribute 11.08–26.19% and 19.92– a filler for sweet buns and pastries, spread 26.90% of total starch, respectively. The on cooked rice cakes, or set with agar agar highest resistant starch content was found in to form jellies. variety Jingnong 6. Resistant starch has its • Large size is also known as Dainagon importance because of the characteristic which is >4.8 mm in length. It is used whole feature of its non-digestibility in the small fundamentally in several traditional intestine. It is generally recognized as the International Journal of Health Sciences & Research (www.ijhsr.org) 305 Vol.9; Issue: 4; April 2019 Srishti Agarwal et.al. Adzuki Beans- Physical and Nutritional Characteristics of Beans and Its Health Benefits main components in cereals that could analyze fatty acid distributions and improve gut microbiota composition due to molecular species of triacylglycerols. The its fermentation in the gut (Nielsen et al, lipids were mainly made up of 2015). phospholipids (74.3%), triacylglycerols Protein (13.5%), hydrocarbons (4.6%) and sterol The major proteins of the adzuki esters (4.0%). The lipids of adzuki beans bean are water-soluble rather than salt- from five cultivators comprised mainly soluble unlike most of the legume proteins. phospholipids (72.2-73.4 wt-%) and This unique quality of high solubility of triacylglycerols (20.6-21.9-%) (Yoshida et adzuki bean attracts food industry to put al, 2010) adzuki beans at favorable position keeping in mind its possible application. In a whole Minerals bean, the total extractable proteins, albumin Adzuki beans have higher content in and globulins of the adzuki bean constituted phosphorus, potassium, calcium and 21.6, 15.8 and 2.3%, respectively. A trypsin magnesium content in comparision to other inhibitor with a molecular weight of 13 kDa beans. from adzuki bean was isolated by heating at Minerals ppm DB 70ºC for 10 min and ammonium sulfate Phosphorus 4787 precipitation (Wati et al., 2010). Potassium 12915 Calcium 705 Magnesium 1530 Table 1: Amino acid composition of adzuki beans Aluminum 11 Amino Acid WHO/FAO amino acid Adzuki bean Iron 60 scoring pattern Manganese 14 Cystine 4.0 2.02 Zinc 35 Aspartic acid 4.0 11.33 Copper 11 Threonine 4.0 3.74 Boron 13 Serline 4.0 4.53 Nickel 2 Glutamic acid 4.0 17.70 Proline 4.0 5.51 Glycine 4.0 3.74 Antioxidants Alanins 4.0 4.10 The total antioxidant activity of adzuki bean extract was the highest among Valine 5.0 5.63 Methionine 5.0 1.70 seven beans (faba bean, broad bean, adzuki Isoleucine 4.0 5.02 bean, red bean, pea, red lentil, and green Leucine 7.0 0.70 Tryrosine 7.0 3.31 lentil). The adzuki bean extract was Phenylalanine 6.0 6.31 declared as potential antioxidant after it was Histidine 6.0 3.55 evaluated for antioxidant effectiveness in Lysine 5.5 8.45 Ammonia 5.5 1.71 cured and uncured pork sausages supplied Arginine 5.5 7.78 by Cosmo Foods Co., Lts, Tokyo Trptophan 1.0 - (Jayawardana et al., 2011). The pulse crop of the subgenus Ceratotropis is mainly Fat produced and consumed in Asia. The adzuki Adzuki bean seed is an important bean is also one of the suck kind (Shi et al.