Lung cancer is a common malignancy in men and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in men in the western world. Phenolic cocoa ingredients have a strong antioxidative activity and the potential to have a protective effect against cancer. In the present study, we have evaluated the influence of cocoa beans subjected to different processing conditions on cell viability and apoptos...

This study evaluated whether grass intercropping can be used to alleviate Fe deficiency chlorosis in dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) grown in high pH, calcareous soils with low organic matter. Field studies were conducted at the University of Wyoming Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension Center in 2009 and 2010. Black- and navy beans were grown alone or intercropped with annual ryegr...

Bean constitutes, with rice, the staple diet of the Brazilian people. The quality control of beans includes computing the percentages of different varieties present in a batch of beans. The selling price of the batch depends on these percentages. In this work, we propose a computer system for visual inspection of beans. We use “correlation-based multi-shape granulometry” for the first time to s...

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous cocoa bean fermentation is characterised by a succession of microbial activities. Cocoa flavour precursors are developed during fermentation and drying of cocoa beans. Polyphenols and alkaloids contribute to astringency and bitterness of cocoa and chocolate. RESULTS: Population dynamics, metabolite target analyses, and chocolate production were performed for seven indepe...

Plant parasitic nematodes, Meloidogyne javanica in particular, cause significant yield losses in sugarcane crops in South Africa. The chemicals at present available for nematode control are expensive and potentially detrimental to the environment. It has been reported that various types of crops reduce the numbers of plant parasitic nematodes. Seven green manure crops (sunn hemp, marigold, oats...

The effect of pre-dehulling treatments using low and high temperatures on some nutritional and physical properties of navy and pinto beans was investigated. Beans were exposed to water (14%, 28% and soaking 1:5, w/v for 6 h, 16 and 16 h, respectively) to facilitate seed coat detachment prior to freeze drying (FD) for 48 h or heat drying (HT) for 20 or 60min. Exposure to the highest moisture lev...

Root anatomical responses to water deficit are diverse and regulation of water uptake strongly depends on plant anatomy. The ancestors of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivars are the wild common beans. Because wild beans adapt and survive well in the natural environment, it is hypothesized that wild common bean roots are less affected than those of domesticated beans at low substrate w...

Our objective was to compare the capacities of biofortified and standard black beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) to deliver iron (Fe) for hemoglobin (Hb) synthesis. Two lines of black beans, one standard and the other biofortified (high) in Fe (71 and 106 microg Fe/g, respectively), were used. Maize-based diets containing the beans were formulated to meet the nutrient requirements for swine except ...

The nutritional significance of enzymatic inhibitors which modify the action of enzymes acting in the digestive tract has not been heretofore studied, although the possibilities of such significance have been mentioned in some of the recent publications upon naturally occurring inhibitors (l-3). It has been suggested that they may be of importance in bacterial nutrition also (4, 5). It has been...

A method was developed for the simultaneous determination of residues of pirimicarb (I) and its desmethylformamido (II) and desmethyl (III) metabolites in plums, peas, green beans, broad beans, carrots, and swedes. The compounds were extracted with ethyl acetate and determined, without cleanup, by reversed-phase liquid chromatography and electrospray mass spectrometry (MS). MS and MS/MS were us...