Phenolic acid profiles of Australian pulse varieties: Functional food potential

Pulse crops form an important aspect of the Australian agricultural sector, comprising around 10% of the total cropping area sown per year. In addition to their ability to fix nitrogen into the soil, pulses contain higher levels of phenolic acids compared to other grains. Given that many of these phenolic acids have been associated with improved cardiovascular health[1,2] this may potentially provide pulses with increased health-benefitting effects. Although extensive efforts have been invested into developing high-yielding, disease-resistant pulse cultivars, there is limited information available on the variation in phenolic acid content of pulses grown under Australian conditions. Using high-performance liquid chromatography, we profiled the phenolic acid contents in three common Australian pulse crops (faba bean, mungbean and chickpea) from South Australian and Queensland field trials. Of the ten faba bean varieties assessed, one (PBA Rana) contained much higher levels of total phenolics, including higher levels of ferulic, p-hydroxybenzoic, chlorogenic and protocatechuic acids. Similarly, significant differences were found between five mungbean varieties for several phenolic acids, including p-hydroxybenzoic, vanillic, caffeic, sinapic, ferulic and cinnamic acids. Investigation of the phenolic acid profiles of six chickpea varieties revealed similar genotypic variation. Overall, the results indicate that the phenolic acid content of Australian pulses differs significantly between varieties. Several of the pulse varieties investigated show elevated levels of phenolic acids, which may be associated with increased health benefits, recommending their use as potential functional foods. Consideration of the phenolic acid contents in breeding programs could be used to further increase phenolic acid contents.