Occurrence of the phytoalexin phaseollin in pods of Phaseolus vulgaris

✍ Scribed by Jan Doherty; Ron Buescher

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1978
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 233 KB
• Volume: 29
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-5142
• DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.2740291006

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Phaseollin is a phytoalexin synthesised by Phaseolus vulgaris (snap or French bean) in response to infection or injury. The possibility of its accumulation in the edible pods damaged during post‐harvest handling was investigated. Phaseollin levels increased in injured pod tissue during 48 h at 27°C. Some delocalised accumulation occurred in healthy tissue adjacent to injured sites but concentrations decreased sharply with distance from the broken ends. Canning and freezing processes did not destroy phaseollin which accumulated in 24 h in pods held in air; phaseollin synthesis was strongly inhibited, however, by holding broken pods in 30% CO~2~. Since accumulation was localised at broken surfaces, levels for whole pods are low and probably not nutritionally significant.