In a report by the Global Times, Chinese researchers have cracked the genetic sequence of the adzuki bean, which is known as an important source of starch, digestible protein, mineral elements and vitamins for at least a billion people worldwide.
"Adzuki bean is a legume crop known for its high starch (57.06 percent) and low fat (0.59 percent) content relative to soybean and other legumes," said senior author Wan Ping, a professor at the Beijing University of Agriculture. "The genome sequence of adzuki bean will facilitate the identification of important genes and accelerate the improvement of adzuki bean."
The draft genome sequence, published in the U.S. Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was formulated by a team of scientists led by Wan.
According to the scientist, a total of 34,183 protein-coding genes were predicted. The team also discovered significant differences between starch and fat content between the adzuki bean and soybean.
The research team summed up their findings in their report, saying, "Generally, our results valuably reinforce the legume species genomes, provide insight into evolution and metabolic differences of legumes, and will accelerate studying of genetics and genomics for adzuki bean improvement."
Adzuki bean, which was grown in China 12,000 years ago, is now present in more than 30 countries in the world.
Due to its low calorie, fat content, digestible protein and bioactive compounds, adzuki bean is referred to as the "weight loss bean."
Given its health benefits, adzuki bean is widely used by at least a billion people in a variety of foods, including paste in pastries, desserts, cake and porridge, among other things. It is also a traditional medicine used for dropsy and beriberi in China.