The navy bean, haricot bean, pearl haricot bean,[3]Boston bean,[4]white pea bean,[5] or pea bean[6] is a variety of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) native to the Americas, where it was first domesticated.[7] It is a dry white bean that is smaller than many other types of white beans, and has an oval, slightly flattened shape.[3] It features in such dishes as baked beans,[3] various soups such as Senate bean soup,[8] and bean pies.
The plants[4] that produce navy beans may be either of the bush type or vining type, depending on the cultivar.[9]
History
The name "Navy bean" is an American term coined because the US Navy has served the beans as a staple to its sailors since the mid-1800s.[10]
In Australia, navy bean production began during World War II when it became necessary to find an economical way of supplying a nutritious food to the many troops—especially American troops—based in Queensland. The United States military maintained a large base in Kingaroy and had many bases and camps throughout south-east Queensland. It actively encouraged the widespread planting of the beans.[10] Kingaroy is known as the Baked Bean Capital of Australia.[10] Another popular name for the bean during this time was "the Yankee bean".[10]
Cultivars
Navy bean cultivars include:
"Rainy River"[11]
"Robust", resistant to the bean common mosaic virus (BCMV),[12] which is transmitted through seeds[11]
Michelite, descended from 'Robust', but with higher yields and better seed quality[11]
Sanilac, the first bush navy bean cultivar[11]
Nutritional value
White beans are the most abundant plant-based source of phosphatidylserine (PS) currently known.[13] It contains notably high levels of apigenin, 452±192 μg/kg, which vary widely among legumes.[14]
Consumption of baked beans has been shown to lower total cholesterol levels and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.[15][16] This might be at least partly explained by the high saponin content of navy beans. Saponins also exhibit antibacterial and anti-fungal activity, and have been found to inhibit cancer cell growth.[17] Furthermore, navy beans are the richest source of ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid among the common bean varieties.[18]
Storage and safety
Dried and canned beans stay fresh longer by storing them in a pantry or other cool, dark place under 75 °F (24 °C). With normal seed storage, seeds should last from one to four years for replanting, with a very large timetable for cooking for well-kept seeds, nearing on indefinite. Avoid beans that are discolored from the pure white color of these beans, as they may have been poorly handled while they dried.[19]
References
^United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels". FDA. Archived from the original on 2024-03-27. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
^National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine Division; Food and Nutrition Board; Committee to Review the Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium (2019). Oria, Maria; Harrison, Meghan; Stallings, Virginia A. (eds.). Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. The National Academies Collection: Reports funded by National Institutes of Health. Washington, DC: National Academies Press (US). ISBN 978-0-309-48834-1. PMID 30844154. Archived from the original on 2024-05-09. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
^ a b c"Beans, White Pearl Haricot, Dried, per kilo". kirkfood.com.au. Archived from the original on 18 February 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
^ a bWillan, Anne (1989-09-17). La Varenne Pratique: Part 3, Vegetables, Pasta & Grains. p. 205. ISBN 9780991134625.
^"Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)". Pulse Canada. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
^"Pea bean". The American Heritage Dictionary. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
^Paul Gepts (December 1998). "Origin and evolution of common bean: past events and recent trends". HortScience. 33 (7): 1124–1130. doi:10.21273/HORTSCI.33.7.1124. Archived from the original on 2015-10-19. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
^Mark Goodwin (2003). "Crop Profile for Dry Beans" (PDF). Pulse Canada. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
^ a b c d"History". Bean Growers Australia. Retrieved 2017-10-06.
^ a b c dJames D. Kelly. "One Hundred Years of Bean Breeding at Michigan State University: A Chronology" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 November 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
^Schwartz, H.F.; Corrales, M.A.P. (1989). Bean Production Problems in the Tropics. Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT). ISBN 9789589183045.
^Souci SW, Fachmann E, Kraut H (2008). Food Composition and Nutrition Tables. Medpharm Scientific Publishers Stuttgart.
^Konar, Nevzat (2013). "Non-isoflavone phytoestrogenic compound contents of various legumes". European Food Research and Technology. 236 (3): 523–530. doi:10.1007/s00217-013-1914-0. S2CID 85373016.
^Shutler, Susan M.; Bircher, Gemma M.; Tredger, Jacki A.; Morgan, Linda M.; Walker, Ann F.; Low, A. G. (2007). "The effect of daily baked bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) consumption on the plasma lipid levels of young, normo-cholesterolaemic men". British Journal of Nutrition. 61 (2): 257. doi:10.1079/BJN19890114.
^Winham, Donna M.; Hutchins, Andrea M. (2007). "Baked bean consumption reduces serum cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic adults". Nutrition Research. 27 (7): 380–386. doi:10.1016/j.nutres.2007.04.017.
^Shi, John; Xue, Sophia Jun; Ma, Ying; Li, Dong; Kakuda, Yukio; Lan, Yubin (2009). "Kinetic study of saponins B stability in navy beans under different processing conditions". Journal of Food Engineering. 93: 59–65. doi:10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2008.12.035.
^Luthria, Devanand L.; Pastor-Corrales, Marcial A. (2006). "Phenolic acids content of fifteen dry edible bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) varieties". Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. 19 (2–3): 205–211. doi:10.1016/j.jfca.2005.09.003.
^"How Long Do Beans Last?". Retrieved 23 November 2014.