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Review
. 2025 Jul 3:11:101136.
doi: 10.1016/j.crfs.2025.101136. eCollection 2025.

Faba Bean: Unlocking nutritional potential and agricultural sustainability

Madhvi Singh  1 , Maria Balota  2 , Haibo Huang  1 , Sean O'Keefe  1 , Renata Carneiro  1
Affiliations
Review

Faba Bean: Unlocking nutritional potential and agricultural sustainability

Madhvi Singh et al. Curr Res Food Sci. .

Abstract

Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) has been identified as a versatile specialty crop for North America due to its rich nutritional profile, ability to thrive in diverse climates, and economic potential. Although friendly to most diets, faba bean consumption is challenged by the presence of vicine and convicine-antinutritional compounds that trigger favism in individuals with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. This review delves into the genetic, molecular, and biochemical dimensions of vicine and convicine accumulation in faba beans, pinpointing knowledge gaps and unearthing historical and lesser-known insights about these compounds. This comprehensive review synthesizes and discusses recent efforts and challenges in enhancing nutrition of faba beans to promote its production and consumption in North America. We spotlight the strides made in breeding low-vicine and low-convicine varieties and critically assess attempts aimed at mitigating these favism-inducing factors. The development of low-vicine and low-convicine faba bean lines represents a significant advancement in crop breeding, addressing safety concerns for individuals with G6PD deficiency. By utilizing marker-assisted breeding techniques, researchers are effectively reducing vicine and convicine levels, even as the complete biosynthetic pathways of these compounds remain unresolved. Current research efforts are steadily progressing toward cultivars with minimal or no vicine and convicine, enhancing the safety and nutritional profile of faba beans. These breakthroughs hold the potential to transform faba beans into a more sustainable, inclusive, and widely consumed food source, expanding their utility in both human diets and agricultural systems.

Keywords: Antinutritional factors; Broad beans; Convicine; Faba beans; Vicine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests:Sean O′ Keefe and Renata Carneiro reports financial support was provided by 10.13039/100007263Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Sean O'Keefe and Renata Carneiro reports a relationship with Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University that includes: employment. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Image 1
Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Schematic illustrating faba beans' nutritional profile, bioactive compounds, and their health benefits.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The impact of Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) Enzyme Deficiency on the Pentose Phosphate Pathway: Blocking the Initial Step Crucial for Ribose 5-phosphate synthesizing.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Comprehensive overview of wet and dry fractionation in faba bean processing.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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