Effect of Traditional Cooking and In Vitro Gastrointestinal Digestion of the Ten Most Consumed Beans from the Fabaceae Family in Thailand on Their Phytochemicals, Antioxidant and Anti-Diabetic Potentials

The edible beans in Fabaceae have been used for foods and medicines since the ancient time, and being used more and more. It is also appeared as a major ingredient in dairy cooking menu in many regions including Thailand, a rich biodiversity country. Many studies reported on health benefits of their flavonoids, but there is no report on the effect of cooking on phytochemical profile and pharmacological potentials. Thus, this present study aims to complete this knowledge, with the 10 most consumed Fabaceae beans in Thailand, by determining the impact of traditional cooking and gastrointestinal digestion on their phytochemicals, their antioxidant and anti-diabetic activities using different in vitro and in cellulo yeast models. The results showed that <i>Vigna unguiculata</i> subsp. <i>sesquipedalis</i> were the richest source of phytochemicals, whereas the population of <i>V. mungo</i>, <i>Phaseolus vulgaris</i>, <i>V. angularis</i>, and <i>V. unguiculata</i> subsp. <i>sesquipedalis</i> were richest in monomeric anthocyanin contents (MAC). Furthermore, the results clearly demonstrated the impact of the plant matrix effect on the preservation of a specific class of phytochemicals. In particular, after cooking and in vitro digestion, total flavonoid contents (TFC) in <i>Glycine max</i> extract was higher than in the uncooked sample. This study is the first report on the influence of cooking and in vitro gastrointestinal digestion on the inhibition capacity toward advanced glycation end products (AGEs). All samples showed a significant capacity to stimulate glucose uptake in yeast model, and <i>V. angularis</i> showed the highest capacity. Interestingly, the increase in glucose uptake after in vitro digestion was higher than in uncooked samples for both <i>P. vulgaris</i> and <i>G. max</i> samples. The current study is the first attempt to investigate at the effects of both processes not only on the natural bioactive compounds but also on antioxidant and anti-diabetic activities of Thailand’s 10 most consumed beans that can be applied for agro-industrial and phytopharmaceutical sectors.