Variation in total dietary fiber content in dry edible bean cultivars/lines

There is currently an increased interest in plant-based dietary components and their effects on human health. One dietary factor that has recently received a great deal of interest is dietary fiber. Dietary fiber is composed of a complex mixture of plant components and was recently defined by the CODEX Alimentarius Commission as:“carbohydrate polymers with ten or more monomeric units, which are not hydrolyzed by the endogenous enzymes of the small intestine of humans (McCleary, 2010).” Dietary fiber consumption has been associated with a positive impact on human health and has been implicated in the prevention of the leading chronic diseases: obesity, type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer (Anderson et al., 2009). Results from a large NIH-AARP prospective cohort study reported a significantly lower risk of death in both men and women consuming the highest intake of dietary fiber (Park et al., 2011). However, the oligosaccharide portion of dietary fiber which is present in dry bean is thought to cause digestive problems and contribute to reduced consumer acceptance (Winham and Hutchins, 2011). Therefore, breeding for high fiber and low oligosaccharide content is of interest to increase the health benefits and acceptance of dry beans in the diet while reducing negative digestive aspects. Previously we reported the preliminary results of the dietary fiber content of BeanCAP cultivars (Brick et al., 2011), and this update includes both the fiber and oligosaccharide content, along with the results of the evaluation of additional RIL parents.