Supplementary file 1_Variability in cooking time, mineral content and in vitro iron bioavailability in common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) from Ghana.docx

However, evidence on the cooking characteristics and nutritional quality of dry beans produced in Ghana remains limited, particularly in West African contexts where beans are non-traditional staple foods.</p>Methods<p>This study evaluated cooking time, iron and zinc concentrations, and iron bioavailability assessed by in vitro Caco-2 cell ferritin formation among 40 common bean genotypes representing the white, cranberry, red, beige, red mottled, black, and purple market classes.

Cowpea cultivars (Zamzam and Tona) were included as local checks for measured traits.</p>Results and discussion<p>Cowpea cooked substantially faster (10–14 min) than all common bean market classes (28–143 min). Substantial variation was observed in cooked bean iron (42.4–79.3 μg/g) and zinc (24.5–41.6 μg/g) concentrations, compared with ranges of 47–59 μg/g and 40–52 μg/g, respectively, in cowpea. Iron concentration was not correlated with in vitro iron bioavailability (r = −0.128, 95% CI: −0.423 to 0.191; p = 0.430) in cooked beans, whereas shorter cooking times were associated with higher in vitro iron bioavailability (r = −0.452, 95% CI: −0.669 to −0.163; p = 0.003).