Landraces can be agri-food resources for the sustainable development of mountain areas: the case of Copafam bean (Phaseolus coccineus L.)

Nowaday, about 80% of global agrobiodiversity has been lost since the last century. Landraces are populations of cultivated plants that have a distinct historical origin and locally adapted; Italy is rich in agrobiodiversity but many of these varieties are little or not at all scientifically characterized. The main objective was the characterization, conservation and enhancement of “Copafam” bean (Phaseolus coccineus L.) in order to evaluate its possible input as a raw material in the agro-food industries for the creation of innovative and functional products. For this purpose, the nutritional and phytochemical characteristics of the “Copafam” bean was explored. Moreover, the sensory properties and consumers’ hedonic ratings in a model food formulation (biscuits) made by this landrace was assessed usinga citizen science approach. The results show that the “Copafam” bean had a high dietary fiber content (34.83 ± 2.48 g/100 g dw) and it resulted in a great source of secondary metabolites as polyphenols (121.36 ± 5.31 mg GAE/g dw), flavonoids (6.51 ± 0.17 mg/kg dw), and anthocyanins (28.11 ± 0.16 mg Cy3 G/kg dw), having remarkable antioxidant activity too (76.42 ± 1.27 %) (Pedrali et al. 2022). Biscuits made from “Copafam” flour were characterized by a darker color and crunchy texture, and it was considered acceptable by consumers. All these characteristics make it a resource of great interest for innovative forms of consumption like fortified foods. This research showed that landraces can represent a great resource for an innovative food industry aiming to preserve agrobiodiversity and promote the sustainable development of mountain areas.