Centro De Estudios En Alimentos Procesados

Pulses are an important source of proteins, but their nutritional quality is limited by anti-nutritional factors and low digestibility of indispensable amino acids. Fermentation offers a strategy to enhance the nutritional value of pulse proteins by decreasing anti-nutritional components and modifying protein structure. This study examined the effects of solid-state fermentation with Bacillus subtilis for 12 and 48 h on protein content, amino acid composition, protein and individual amino acid digestibility, and anti-nutritional components, including phytic acid and total phenolic compounds, in common beans, lentils, and chickpeas. Prolonged fermentation was associated with apparent increases in protein content when expressed on a dry-weight basis, and induced pulse- and time-dependent shifts in amino acid profiles. Fermentation induced a redistribution of indispensable amino acids, with increases in tryptophan, phenylalanine, and cysteine, accompanied by decreases in other amino acids such as leucine and arginine, depending on pulse type and fermentation time. Short-term fermentation (12 h) improved amino acid digestibility and increased the digestible indispensable amino acid scores (DIAAS) in chickpeas across age groups. Digestibility was overall maintained in beans and largely preserved in lentils, except for limited decreases in specific amino acids. In contrast, extended fermentation (48 h) generally reduced amino acid digestibility, most notably in lentils. Reductions in anti-nutritional factors occurred early during fermentation, particularly in lentils and beans, and coincided with maintained or improved digestibility depending on the pulse. Despite these compositional and digestibility changes, the DIAAS of all samples remained below the FAO threshold of 75%, precluding protein quality claims. Overall, these findings highlight the dual role of fermentation as both an enhancer and modulator of protein quality. Optimizing fermentation parameters, particularly duration, may maximize nutritional benefits. When combined with complementary strategies, fermentation holds promise for improving the protein quality of pulses.

Chilean common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) landraces belong to the Andean gene pool, and they are an important genetic resource for seed coat color and antioxidant-related phenolic composition. This study shows that the Chilean landrace 'Peumo' accumulates between 4 and 30-fold higher levels of condensed tannins, including the flavan-3-ols catechin and epicatechin, in the seed coat than the light grey 'Tórtola' landrace during grain filling. The largest quantitative differences were observed under deficit irrigation. To explore the molecular basis of these contrasting seed coat colors under water deficit, we combined targeted phenolic profiling with RNA-seq analysis of seed coat tissue from plants grown under deficit irrigation. Four differentially expressed genes (Phvul.007G206000, Phvul.002G079300, Phvul.010G090300 and Phvul.009G040700) were identified as candidate genes potentially associated with flavan-3-ols production and accumulation. In addition, 962 and 483 differentially expressed genes were detected at stages R8 and R9, respectively, reflecting extensive transcriptional reprogramming during late grain filling. Among the candidates, Phvul.002G079300, annotated as a short hypocotyl 1-like gene involved in light signaling, showed coherent differential expression between landraces in RNA-seq and significant up-regulation in 'Peumo' at R9 by RT-qPCR, whereas the remaining genes displayed non-significant but biologically suggestive expression trends. Altogether, these results support a working model in which seed coat color differences between 'Peumo' and 'Tórtola' arise from the combined effects of phenylpropanoid-derived flavan-3-ol accumulation, and the differential expression of regulatory genes linked to light and stress signaling under water deficit, and they highlight the need for broader germplasm coverage and functional studies to establish causal relationships.

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are crucial for the antimicrobial defense; however, their dysregulated expression can lead to enhanced inflammation and tissue damage. NET formation requires reactive oxygen species (ROS), particularly those generated through the NADPH oxidase (NOX2) pathway. This study investigates the immunomodulatory effects of aqueous extracts of Chilean landraces of Phaseolus vulgaris L. (Hallado Alemán) with microwave-assisted extraction, on ROS-dependent NETosis and phagocytosis. Using an in vitro model of differentiated HL-60 neutrophil-like cells and human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) stimulated with PMA, we evaluated ROS production, NETs release, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, and cf-DNA release, as well as phagocytic activity. All experiments were performed in triplicate (n = 3 independent biological replicates); data are presented as mean ± SEM. Both extracts have high polyphenol content and effectively inhibit superoxide production and NET release without cytotoxic effects and increase bacterial phagocytosis. The extract components, including gallic acid, quercetin, and kaempferol, were confirmed by HPLC-DAD. In silico docking analysis showed robust binding of the same polyphenols to key inflammatory-regulating proteins, including PKCb, NOX2, and TLR4/MD2. These findings suggest that aqueous extracts of Phaseolus vulgaris modulate neutrophil function by attenuating proinflammatory responses while preserving antimicrobial activity, indicating their value as natural innate immune modulators.