Nutritional and health benefits of legumes and their distinctive genomic properties

Abstract Legumes are indispensable for human diet in respect to their valuable and nutritive bioactive molecules. Legumes and derivative foodstuffs are rich in fiber, proteins, vitamins and some valuable phytochemicals, which exhibit important biological activities. Due to their remarkable molecular content, they are receiving great attention by researchers. Recent developments in genomics and bioinformatics led to cumulative data about legume genomes. These data could provide important information to accelerate breeding and to develop new traits for biofortification. The main focus of this review is to present their distinctive genomic properties by summarizing significant studies conducted with relatively newly developed techniques revealing the beneficial effects of bioactive molecules from legumes on human health.

摘要 豆类因其富含兼具营养价值的珍贵生物活性分子，是人类饮食中不可或缺的组成部分。豆类及其衍生食品富含膳食纤维、蛋白质、维生素与多种珍贵植物化学物，这些成分均具备重要的生物学活性。鉴于其优异的分子组成，豆类正受到研究者的广泛关注。近年来基因组学与生物信息学的发展积累了大量豆类基因组相关研究数据，这些数据可为加速豆类育种进程、开发生物强化新性状提供重要参考。本综述的核心目标为：通过总结采用新兴技术开展的代表性研究，阐明豆类独特的基因组特性，并揭示豆类来源的生物活性分子对人体健康的有益功效。