A comprehensive review of the genetic control of cooking time in dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Societal Impact Statement Reducing cooking time could increase dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) consumption. Cooking is an essential processing step needed to unlock the nutrients in dry beans and to make them palatable and safe for consumption. Long cooking times have consequences for dry bean use, e...

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Main Authors: Hannah R. Jeffery, Marcelo Efrén Murillo‐Quesada, Luis Barboza‐Barquero, Karen Cichy
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-07-01
Series:Plants, People, Planet
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10631
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author Hannah R. Jeffery
Marcelo Efrén Murillo‐Quesada
Luis Barboza‐Barquero
Karen Cichy
author_facet Hannah R. Jeffery
Marcelo Efrén Murillo‐Quesada
Luis Barboza‐Barquero
Karen Cichy
author_sort Hannah R. Jeffery
collection DOAJ
description Societal Impact Statement Reducing cooking time could increase dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) consumption. Cooking is an essential processing step needed to unlock the nutrients in dry beans and to make them palatable and safe for consumption. Long cooking times have consequences for dry bean use, especially where cooking fuel cost is high and when people prefer foods that are more convenient to prepare. Understanding the genetic control and genetic diversity for cooking time along with the nutritional tradeoffs will help to breed nutritious bean varieties with shorter cooking times, thereby making dry beans more accessible to consumers around the world. Summary Dry beans generally require long cooking times, and this influences their utilization and acceptability as a food source. Fuel usage, water usage, and convenience are three constraints associated with cooking beans. The cooking times of dry beans are dependent on many factors including growing conditions, post‐harvest handling and storage, cooking methods, and genotype. While there have been significant research endeavors to elucidate how post‐harvest storage and handling influence cooking time, there has been comparatively less research on the genetic regulation of cooking time. This review provides an in‐depth examination of the genetic control of cooking time in dry beans, including genetic mapping studies and its implications for breeding purposes. Further, the available physiological and post‐harvest research is summarized and evaluated in the context of understanding genetic and environmental factors that affect the cooking times of dry beans. The current evidence suggests that cooking time is increased by genetic factors that decrease the amount of soluble compounds in the cotyledons, including but not limited to 1) genes that increase the abundance of calcium‐binding storage proteins and/or de‐methylesterfied pectins paired with high inter‐ or intra‐cellular calcium levels (higher calcium levels can be caused by reduced levels of phytate) and 2) genes that increase insoluble condensed tannin/lignin content in the cotyledon cell walls. Identifying genetic factors that contribute to cooking times across a range of environments could aid breeding efforts to develop reliably fast‐cooking varieties in different dry bean market classes, thereby making dry beans more accessible to consumers around the world.
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spelling doaj-art-3ffda7f2b96848989ce233eb3cba7dee2025-08-20T03:45:41ZengWileyPlants, People, Planet2572-26112025-07-017493495310.1002/ppp3.10631A comprehensive review of the genetic control of cooking time in dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)Hannah R. Jeffery0Marcelo Efrén Murillo‐Quesada1Luis Barboza‐Barquero2Karen Cichy3Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences Michigan State University East Lansing Michigan USACentro para Investigaciones en Granos y Semillas (CIGRAS), Universidad de Costa Rica San José Costa RicaCentro para Investigaciones en Granos y Semillas (CIGRAS), Universidad de Costa Rica San José Costa RicaSugarbeet and Bean Research Unit USDA‐ARS East Lansing Michigan USASocietal Impact Statement Reducing cooking time could increase dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) consumption. Cooking is an essential processing step needed to unlock the nutrients in dry beans and to make them palatable and safe for consumption. Long cooking times have consequences for dry bean use, especially where cooking fuel cost is high and when people prefer foods that are more convenient to prepare. Understanding the genetic control and genetic diversity for cooking time along with the nutritional tradeoffs will help to breed nutritious bean varieties with shorter cooking times, thereby making dry beans more accessible to consumers around the world. Summary Dry beans generally require long cooking times, and this influences their utilization and acceptability as a food source. Fuel usage, water usage, and convenience are three constraints associated with cooking beans. The cooking times of dry beans are dependent on many factors including growing conditions, post‐harvest handling and storage, cooking methods, and genotype. While there have been significant research endeavors to elucidate how post‐harvest storage and handling influence cooking time, there has been comparatively less research on the genetic regulation of cooking time. This review provides an in‐depth examination of the genetic control of cooking time in dry beans, including genetic mapping studies and its implications for breeding purposes. Further, the available physiological and post‐harvest research is summarized and evaluated in the context of understanding genetic and environmental factors that affect the cooking times of dry beans. The current evidence suggests that cooking time is increased by genetic factors that decrease the amount of soluble compounds in the cotyledons, including but not limited to 1) genes that increase the abundance of calcium‐binding storage proteins and/or de‐methylesterfied pectins paired with high inter‐ or intra‐cellular calcium levels (higher calcium levels can be caused by reduced levels of phytate) and 2) genes that increase insoluble condensed tannin/lignin content in the cotyledon cell walls. Identifying genetic factors that contribute to cooking times across a range of environments could aid breeding efforts to develop reliably fast‐cooking varieties in different dry bean market classes, thereby making dry beans more accessible to consumers around the world.https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10631cooking timedry beangenetic mechanismgenotype‐by‐environment interactionhard‐to‐cookheritability
spellingShingle Hannah R. Jeffery
Marcelo Efrén Murillo‐Quesada
Luis Barboza‐Barquero
Karen Cichy
A comprehensive review of the genetic control of cooking time in dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)
Plants, People, Planet
cooking time
dry bean
genetic mechanism
genotype‐by‐environment interaction
hard‐to‐cook
heritability
title A comprehensive review of the genetic control of cooking time in dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)
title_full A comprehensive review of the genetic control of cooking time in dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)
title_fullStr A comprehensive review of the genetic control of cooking time in dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)
title_full_unstemmed A comprehensive review of the genetic control of cooking time in dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)
title_short A comprehensive review of the genetic control of cooking time in dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)
title_sort comprehensive review of the genetic control of cooking time in dry beans phaseolus vulgaris l
topic cooking time
dry bean
genetic mechanism
genotype‐by‐environment interaction
hard‐to‐cook
heritability
url https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10631
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