Resistant starch in common beans: Concentration, characteristics, uses and health effects. A systematic map and review of the studies from 1962 to 2023

Information on the resistant starch (RS) of the common bean seed, its concentration and health effects are scarce. RS is a starch fraction partly resistant to the digestive enzymes, thus acting as a food fibre. Through a systematic map of the RS concentration in common bean on scopus and web of science databases, we found 1978 records, of which 108 papers reporting information on the Composition or Characterisation (seventy-four papers), Digestion/fermentation (thirty-two papers) and Health issues (twenty-three papers) and sixty-two on the RS concentration of the crude common bean dry seed. We found that mean RS concentration in common bean is 16.4% (median = 12.2%) with a high-standard deviation (12.8%). Common bean was compared with the other legumes in thirty-four reports and to cereals in seventeen reports, and in three papers to either banana or potato. We found that reports on the industrial uses of bean RS and on the agronomic, environmental and genetic determinants of RS accumulation in common beans are very scarce. The ability to modulate RS concentration in beans can have different implications for countries with variable food calories or food fibre demand.

Automated summary

Information on the resistant starch (RS) of common bean seed, its concentration and health effects is limited. A systematic review of the RS concentration in common bean revealed that the mean RS concentration is 16.4% with a high standard deviation. The industrial uses of bean RS and the determinants of RS accumulation in common beans are lacking in research.