Abstract
Brazil is one of the largest consumers and producers of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris, L.), one of the major sources of protein and iron and other nutrients, besides being easy to cultivate and cook. Studies have shown anaemia to be the most serious nutritional problem in Brazil and the inclusion of biofortified basic foods could help in reducing it. The objective of this paper was to analyse and statistically compare the proximate composition and mineral content of raw and cooked grains of two bean cultivars: black and pinto, and two biofortified cultivars: BRS esplendor and BRS pontal. The ground raw beans and the cooked beans were evaluated with respect to their moisture, ash, protein, lipids, carbohydrates, iron, potassium, magnesium and sodium contents. The results were submitted to an analysis of variance and the means compared by the Tukey test (p<0.05). The use of biofortified beans is of promise to reduce the incidence of anaemia, since the results showed that biofortification increased the iron, potassium and magnesium contents.
Keywords:
Anaemia; Malnutrition; Protein; Iron