Nutritional, functional, and bioactive properties of african underutilized legumes

Frontiers in Plant Science, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 14

Published: April 14, 2023

Globally, legumes are vital constituents of diet and perform critical roles in maintaining well-being owing to the dense nutritional contents functional properties their seeds. While much emphasis has been placed on major grain over years, neglected underutilized (NULs) gaining significant recognition as probable crops alleviate malnutrition give a boost food security Africa. Consumption these associated with several health-promoting benefits can be utilized foods due rich dietary fibers, vitamins, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), proteins/essential amino acids, micro-nutrients, bioactive compounds. Despite plethora benefits, have not received research attention compared common mainstream legumes, thus hindering adoption utilization. Consequently, efforts geared toward improvement, utilization, incorporation into agriculture Africa more convincing than ever. This work reviews some selected NULs (Adzuki beans ( Vigna angularis ), African yam bean Sphenostylis stenocarpa Bambara groundnut subterranea Jack Canavalia ensiformis Kidney Phaseolus vulgaris Lima lunatus Marama Tylosema esculentum Mung bean, radiata Rice Umbellata Winged Psophocarpus tetragonolobus )), nutritional, properties. Furthermore, we highlight prospects current challenges utilization discusses strategies facilitate exploitation only sources nutrients, but also integration for development cheap accessible foods.

Language: Английский

---

The Role of Neglected Grain Legumes in Food and Nutrition Security and Human Health

Sustainability, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 17(1), P. 350 - 350

Published: Jan. 6, 2025

Increasing demand for nutritious, safe, and healthy food, including the need to preserve biodiversity other resources, signifies a prodigious challenge agriculture, which is already at risk from climate change. Diverse plant-based diets may significantly reduce food insecurity, malnutrition, diet-related diseases, health-related issues. More attention agricultural systems diversity mandatory improve economic, environmental, ecological, social sustainability of production in developing countries. In this context, neglected legume could provide nutritional benefits people while adhering principles. However, contribution legumes nutrition security still limited due socio-economic challenges faced by farmers that contribute underutilization legumes, leading overreliance on few with poor resilience climatic perturbations, thus posing sustainable production. While major offer higher economic returns more developed value chains, they also environmental degradation resource depletion. Neglected hand, ecosystem services, promote biodiversity, but face market underdeveloped chains. Consequently, insecurity human health concerns remain prevalent, especially There an urgent through policy change implementation, genetic improvement, development, fostering international cooperation share knowledge, technologies, best practices utilization legumes. This review comprehensively explores utility security, health. It identifies knowledge gaps should be prioritized as part research strategies future sub-Saharan Africa.

Language: Английский

---

Climate Change Impacts on Legume Physiology and Ecosystem Dynamics: A Multifaceted Perspective

Sustainability, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 16(14), P. 6026 - 6026

Published: July 15, 2024

As valuable sources of plant-based protein, leguminous vegetables (grain legumes) are essential for global food security and contribute to body growth development in humans as well animals. Climate change is a major challenge agriculture that creates problems the plants. However, legume productivity threatened by climate factors, including rising temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns, increased atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, intensified extreme events, altered pest/pathogen activity. This review synthesizes approximately 136 studies assess effects on crops. Under all emissions trajectories, mean temperatures projected rise beyond optimal growing thresholds 2050, carrying yield reductions between 10 49% beans, soybeans, cowpeas, lentils without adaptation measures. The elevated may transiently enhance yields up 18%, but benefits dramatically decline above 550 ppm cannot offset other impacts. Altered rainfall along with recurrent drought heat waves also expected decrease crop yields, seed quality, soil nitrogen levels worldwide. Furthermore, proliferation pests fungal diseases poses significant risks, amplified shifts 84% reviewed studies. These multifaceted impacts threaten gains sustainably meeting protein demand. Realizing resilience will require accelerated heat/drought-tolerant varieties, enhanced climate-informed agronomic practices, strong policy interventions, social safety nets explicitly supporting producers, addition policies/steps governments taking address challenges crisis. highlights adaptations mechanisms required crops thrive fulfill their roles nutrition. It explores how these can be improved better withstand environmental stresses, nutritional profiles, increase yields. Additionally, discusses importance legumes sustainable security, emphasizing potential future feeding population. By focusing critical aspects, aims underscore ensuring healthy supply.

Language: Английский

---

Underutilized crops for diverse, resilient and healthy agri-food systems: a systematic review of sub-Saharan Africa

Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 8

Published: Nov. 28, 2024

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces increasing water scarcity, food and nutrition insecurity, poverty inequality under climate change. Under these circumstances, promoting locally adapted nutrient-dense crops is touted as a plausible adaptation strategy. We reviewed the utility of neglected underutilized crop species (NUS) change strategy to diversify local systems diets improve nutritional health environmental outcomes in SSA. conducted systematic literature review using Web Science Scopus research databases. Of 1,545 studies retrieved, 75 were included following multi-level screening process on Covidence guided by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The consolidates fragmented knowledge application NUS different contexts. Despite growing interest, remain gendered stigmatized crops, marginalized research, development, marketing efforts lack explicit support from policy decision-makers. rhetoric purporting them, there worrying rise policies regulations that inadvertently hinder development reinforce dependence narrow basket security, undermining sovereignty. Some have received recognition their potential past decade. However, this neither universal nor systematic, which makes scaling up necessary but challenging. Consequently, progress mainstreaming continues lag. challenges, sub-Saharan Africa's better-bet option diversifying transitioning them be equitable, inclusive, resilient healthy; hence, provide positive people planet

Language: Английский

---

Impact of behavioural intention to adopt climate-smart agricultural practices on the food and nutrition security of farming households: A microeconomic level evidence

Climatic Change, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 177(7)

Published: July 1, 2024

Abstract The study examined the behavioural intention to adopt climate-smart agricultural practices (CSA) and its impact on food-nutrition security (FNS) of farming households in South Africa. We employed a multistage sampling procedure select rural maize farmers across selected villages. To determine impacts adoption CSA FNS households, endogenous switching regression model (ESRM) was employed, while household dietary diversity score (HDDS) food insecurity access (HFIAS) were used status households. findings emphasized significance intentions farmers, assessed through their attitudinal dimensions (measured terms perceived social norms, intentions, control) influencing decision practices, hence positively result indicates that observe 27% 23% increase HDDS decrease HFIAS compared those who do not respectively. Thus, outcome illustrates substantially enhances Following this backdrop, concerted effort raise knowledge disseminating pertinent information will exert influence farmers' behaviour towards which is capable improving farmers.

Language: Английский

---

Seed quality as a proxy of climate-ready orphan legumes: the need for a multidisciplinary and multi-actor vision

Frontiers in Plant Science, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 15

Published: Aug. 1, 2024

In developing countries, orphan legumes stand at the forefront in struggle against climate change. Their high nutrient value is crucial malnutrition and chronic diseases prevention. However, as ‘orphan’ definition suggests, their seed systems are still underestimated production scanty. Seed priming an effective, sustainable strategy to boost quality for which up-to-date guidelines required guarantee reliable reproducible results. How far we along this path? What do expect from priming? This brings other relevant questions. socio-economic relevance of Mediterranean Basin? potentiate a broader cultivation specific regions? The case study BENEFIT-Med (Boosting technologies towards resilient farming systems) project, developed by multidisciplinary research networks, envisions roadmap producing new knowledge innovative improve productivity through priming, with long-term objective promoting sustainability food security for/in climate-sensitive regions. review highlights existing drawbacks that must be overcome before could reach state ‘climate-ready crops’. Only integration biology, technology agronomy, barrier between bench local agricultural fields may overcome, generating high-impact technical innovations legumes. We intend provide powerful message encourage future line United Nations Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development.

Language: Английский

---

Climate-smart agricultural technology and gender-differentiated food, and water security: Evidence from smallholder sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) Farmers

Agricultural Water Management, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 308, P. 109276 - 109276

Published: Jan. 2, 2025

Language: Английский

---

Biochemical and histological evaluation of kidney, liver, and hematological indices in normal Wistar rats administered dietary formulations of roasted Sphenotylis stenocarpa seeds (Af-rican yam bean)

International Journal of Plant Based Pharmaceuticals, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 5(1), P. 16 - 24

Published: Jan. 3, 2025

Sphenotylis stenocarpa seeds (African yam bean) represent one of the under-exploited nutrient-rich legumes associated with African folklore and disease-remedy claims, that have not been fully authenticated scientifically. The wellness enhancement effect roasted pulverized S. (PROSS) diet formulations on liver, renal, hematological indices was investigated. Rats were assigned randomly into five groups (n = 5). Group I received standard rat chow. Groups II-V a 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% PROSS mixed chow to make 100 mg/kg body weight, respectively. After five-week regular feeding regimen, animals humanly sacrificed, biochemical histological determined. administered various showed significant (p < 0.05) increase in catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxide activity decrease MDA level compared normal control. Although serum creatinine, total protein, potassium levels did differ significantly > across groups, however, chloride increased 0.05), Furthermore, sodium ion decreased at low doses (10% 20% PROSS) but higher while urea an dosage 0.05). A HDL TAG, LDL, VLDL also recorded. Also, ALP, ALT, AST RBC, WBC, Hb, hematocrit (Ht) elevated as dose increased. Normal organ architectures observed all groups. Our data suggest moderate consumption enhances hepatic renal well-being.

Language: Английский

---

Towards a Food Secure Future under Changing Climate in Ghana: The Role of Opportunity Crops

Research Square (Research Square), Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Jan. 28, 2025

There is a renewed interest in ‘opportunity’ (or underutilized) crops due to their potential bolster food security, environmental resilience, and nutritional benefits. However, low productivity, underdeveloped markets, limited research investment constrain widespread adoption. These are generally well adapted harsh conditions, but vulnerability climate change economic viability within current agricultural systems remain unknown. This study employed novel climate-crop modeling framework assess impacts on the productivity of seven opportunity compared three established reference Ghana. Results indicate that projected have significantly higher biophysical resilience change. A literature review suggests they could enhance macro micro nutrient content diets Through multi-stakeholder consultations, cultivation, processing, utilization, factors identified would strengthen adoption these crops. Scenarios for adopting cowpeas, climate-resilient crop mixed-crop farmers Northern Ghana, suggest reduction insecurity by 18–25%, with rates between 60–68%. proposes science-policy support decision-making priorities needed unlock more resilient future Ghanaian agriculture.

Language: Английский

---

Food safety assessment of genetically modified soybean DBN9004×DBN8002×DBN8205 in a subchronic rodent feeding study

Food and Chemical Toxicology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown, P. 115398 - 115398

Published: March 1, 2025

Language: Английский

---