Study of the nutritional quality of the seeds of two varieties of beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) grown in Congo

Phaseolus vulgaris L. is a legume belonging to the order Fabales and the family Fabaceae and which is consumed throughout the world for its seeds and pods.
The seeds of this species provide a source of dietary protein available in many parts of the world; this is why they are considered “poor man’s meat” because of their high protein content and low cost, compared to animal proteins.
The present study relating to the study of the nutritional value of bean seeds cultivated in Bouenza (Boko-Songho) and in the Plateaux (in Lékana) is a contribution to responding to the need for characterization of these varieties. Thus the general objective of this study which is to establish the nutritional value of these two local varieties “Kikata blanc” and “Lekana” is to use the standards established by the AOAC to achieve this objective, namely: the oven to determine the water content, the Soxhlet method to extract the fat, the Kjedahl method to determine the total protein content, the muffle furnace to know the ash rate, we deduced the carbohydrate content and finally we used spectrometry to identify the minerals in the ashes. We obtained the following results: Contents: Water: 7.65% ±0.07; Lipids: 0.81% ±0.02; Proteins: 10.6% ±0.14; Carbohydrates: 76.68% ±0.06; Ashes: 76.68% ±0.06; Energy value: 356.41 Kcal/100g. Among the minerals sought, we obtained: Phosphorus: 0.50% ±0.007; Magnesium: 0.14% ±0.007; Calcium: 0.04% ±0.006; Iron: 0.01% ±0.00. The results of this study allowed us to see that these two plants have good nutritional values.
In order to complete this study, it is appropriate to look for other minerals in the ashes from these seeds; to deepen the studies to know the factors responsible for the differences in the biochemical composition observed between the two varieties.