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Nutritional evaluation of kidney beans ( phaseolus vulgaris ): The toxic principle
Author(s) -
Pusztai Arpad,
Palmer Robert
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.2740280707
Subject(s) - phaseolus , lectin , affinity chromatography , casein , kidney , net protein utilization , chemistry , toxicity , biology , food science , globulin , biochemistry , botany , endocrinology , protein efficiency ratio , body weight , organic chemistry , feed conversion ratio , enzyme
Kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) lectins were purified by affinity chromatography on a fetuin‐Sepharose‐4B column. The net protein utilisation (NPU) of rats fed on a 5% casein‐containing diet was strongly depressed by these pure lectin preparations. The extent of this nutritional toxicity was found to be related to the lectin content of the diet according to the following equation: NPU = NPU 5% casein −280 x (where x is the lectin content in % w/w). Thus, because in addition lectin‐free kidney bean protein preparations were found to be non‐toxic for rats, it is now suggested that the toxic principle of kidney bean is identical with its constituent lectins.