Evaluation of the Quality of Yard-Long Bean (<i>Vigna unguiculata</i> sub sp. <i>sesquipedalis</i> L.) Cultivars to Meet the Nutritional Security of Increasing Population

It is well-known that eating highly nutritious foods has health benefits which may include the prevention of diabetes, heart disease, cancers and other diseases. We examined five yard-long bean cultivars commonly grown in Bangladesh to determine their quality and nutritional composition in terms of carbohydrates, protein, moisture content, fat, ash, sugar crude fiber, as well as their average concentrations of the important nutrients vitamins A (folate) B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B6 (pyridoxamine), and C (ascorbic acid), the electrolytes sodium and potassium, and the minerals iron, calcium, magnesium and zinc. The experiment was conducted at the Horticulture Research Centre (latitude 23.9920° N and longitude 90.4125° E, having an elevation of 8.2 m asl) of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Joydebpur, Bangladesh during 2019–2020 to find out the best yard-long bean cultivar to meet the nutritional security of the increasing population of Bangladesh. We observed average energy concentrations of the five yard-long bean cultivars between 37.62 to 45.94 Kcal/100 g. Similarly, average carbohydrate concentrations ranged between 6.28 to 8.41 g/100 g, average protein between 2.80 and 3.30 g/100 g, average fat between 0.10 and 0.19 g/100 g, average sugar between 1.47 to 2.34 g/100 g, and average crude fiber between 1.23 to 1.85 g/100 g. All five yard-long bean cultivars had high average concentrations of folate and key vitamins critical for human health: vitamin A (846.23–869.36 IU), vitamin B1 (0.096–0.115 mg), vitamin B2 (0.109–0.118 mg), vitamin B3 (0.40–0.42 mg), vitamin B6 (0.020–0.025 mg), and vitamin C (18.20–20.22 mg). Average sodium concentrations in the yard-long bean pods ranged from 3.97 to 4.18 mg, while average potassium concentrations varied between 230.03 and 246.57 mg. We observed high average concentrations of the minerals iron (0.85–1.28 mg), calcium (42.11–58.83 mg), magnesium (40.44–46.50 mg), and zinc (0.36–0.40 mg). Following this thorough investigation, we recommend the five yard-long bean cultivars be promoted for production and consumption within Bangladesh to improve human health and nutrition and to contribute to the prevention of key health complications including diabetes, obesity and some cancers.