Plant Protein Spotlight: Marama Bean

Welcome to another edition of Plant Protein Spotlight, where I share some interesting facts and benefits of plant-based proteins from different underutilized sources. Today, we will journey to the arid region of Southern Africa to introduce you to their native legume - Mārama bean (Tylosema esculentum).

The Mārama bean is a perennial plant that can live for more than two years and does not need to be replanted every season. It usually has deep roots that help it survive droughts and store nutrients. Hence, it doesn't require much rainfall or irrigation to cultivate it on a large scale.

The Mārama bean produces edible tubers and edible seeds that have been used as food by the indigenous people of the?Kalahari Desert?for centuries. The plant is also known as gemsbok bean, morama bean, or green gold because of its high value and potential for food security in dry areas.

The nutritional value of the Mārama bean is astonishingly high for an unimproved legume. The tubers have a high protein content of 9% and a high amino acid content.

The tubers of cassava, or tapioca as some of my Indian friends will call it, for comparison, only have a protein content of 1-3%. In comparison, yam has one of 7%. The seeds have even higher protein content, ranging from 29% to 39%, comparable to or slightly higher than soybean and groundnut.

The seeds also have a high oil content, ranging from 24% to 48%, which is mostly unsaturated and contains beneficial fatty acids, significant vitamins and minerals (iodine, iron and zinc).

The Mārama bean is an excellent source of plant-based protein for human consumption due to its high protein content and unique composition. If you have been following my newsletter, you should know by now how important protein is for building and repairing tissues, making enzymes and hormones, and supporting immune system function.

Plant proteins have also been shown to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. However, not all plant proteins are equal regarding their functional properties, bioavailability, and health benefits.

When discussing protein quality, we consider its functional properties, bioavailability, and health benefits. Functional properties describe how proteins interact with other food components, affecting products' texture, flavour, stability, and shelf-life. Bioavailability refers to how proteins can be digested and absorbed by the body.

The functional properties of Mārama bean protein are not well studied, but some preliminary research suggests that it has good water-holding capacity, emulsifying activity, foaming capacity, and gelation ability. These properties are important for making food products such as beverages, sauces, spreads, bakery products, meat analogues, and dairy alternatives.

The bioavailability of Mārama bean protein is also not well established, but some studies indicate that it has a high digestibility coefficient (90%) and a moderate biological value (64%).

The digestibility coefficient measures how much of a nutrient in a food can be absorbed and used by the body. Biological value measures how well the protein in a food can be used to make new proteins in the body. The higher the biological value, the more complete and high-quality the protein is. These values are comparable to soybean protein (92% and 74%, respectively).

The Marama bean is a remarkable legume that offers numerous nutritional and health benefits as a plant protein source. Despite its potential value, the marama bean remains underutilized and poorly explored.

Therefore, there is a need for more research to improve its cultivation, processing, preservation, and utilization in food formulation. It is also important to raise awareness and appreciation of this indigenous plant among consumers and food product developers. I encourage you to learn more about the marama bean and try it if you have the opportunity. You may be surprised by its taste and benefits.

Thank you for reading this edition of Plant Protein Spotlight. I hope you enjoyed it and learned something new. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to share them with me. I would love to hear from you. Until next time,?

This is Nick signing off. See you next week!