Navy bean
{{short description|Variety of the common bean}}
{{for|the Tracy Bonham song|Navy Bean (song)}}
{{Infobox cultivar
| species = Phaseolus vulgaris
}}
{{nutritionalvalue
| image = File:Phaseolus vulgaris white beans, witte boon.jpg
| caption =
| name = White pea bean
| kJ = 1468
| protein = 22.33 g
| carbs = 60.75 g
| sugars = 3.88 g
| fat = 1.5 g
| fiber = 4.3 g
| source_usda = 1
| image_alt = About 25 white beans are clustered together flat on a tan surface.
}}
The navy bean, haricot bean, Jigna bean, pearl haricot bean,{{cite web|title=Beans, White Pearl Haricot, Dried, per kilo|url=http://www.kirkfood.com.au/product/410-beans-white-pearl-haricot-dried-per-kilo|publisher=kirkfood.com.au|access-date=12 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170218194510/http://www.kirkfood.com.au/product/410-beans-white-pearl-haricot-dried-per-kilo|archive-date=18 February 2017|url-status=dead}} Boston bean,{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QqxVDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA205|page=205|title=La Varenne Pratique: Part 3, Vegetables, Pasta & Grains|isbn=9780991134625|last1=Willan|first1=Anne|date=1989-09-17}} white pea bean,{{cite web |url=http://www.pulsecanada.com/food-health/what-is-a-pulse/bean |title=Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) |access-date=30 August 2014 |publisher=Pulse Canada |archive-date=13 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113185702/http://www.pulsecanada.com/food-health/what-is-a-pulse/bean |url-status=dead }} or pea bean{{cite web|url=http://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=pea+bean|title=Pea bean|publisher=The American Heritage Dictionary|access-date=2013-09-17}} is a variety of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) native to the Americas, where it was first domesticated.{{cite journal |url=http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/33/7/1124.full.pdf+html |title=Origin and evolution of common bean: past events and recent trends |author=Paul Gepts |journal=HortScience |date=December 1998 |volume=33 |issue=7 |pages=1124–1130 |doi=10.21273/HORTSCI.33.7.1124 |access-date=2016-03-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019124712/http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/33/7/1124.full.pdf+html |archive-date=2015-10-19 |url-status=dead |doi-access=free }} It is a dry white bean that is smaller than many other types of white beans, and has an oval, slightly flattened shape. It features in such dishes as baked beans, various soups such as Senate bean soup,[senate.gov/reference/reference_item/bean_soup.htm Senate Bean Soup] and bean pies.
The plants that produce navy beans may be either of the bush type or vining type, depending on the cultivar.{{cite web |url=http://www.pulsecanada.com/uploads/a2/09/a2097ea4c4b74e2f8ca52c406c144233/Bean-Profile.PDF |title=Crop Profile for Dry Beans |author=Mark Goodwin |publisher=Pulse Canada |year=2003 |access-date=30 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141127064148/http://www.pulsecanada.com/uploads/a2/09/a2097ea4c4b74e2f8ca52c406c144233/Bean-Profile.PDF |archive-date=27 November 2014 |url-status=dead }}
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.{{Cite web|url=http://www.beangrowers.com.au/history|title=History|website=Bean Growers Australia|language=en-AU|access-date=2017-10-06|archive-date=2017-10-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171007070245/http://www.beangrowers.com.au/history|url-status=dead}}
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. Kingaroy is known as the Baked Bean Capital of Australia. Another popular name for the bean during this time was "the Yankee bean".
Cultivars
Navy bean cultivars include:
- "Rainy River"
- "Robust", resistant to the bean common mosaic virus (BCMV),{{cite book |author1=Schwartz, H.F. |author2=Corrales, M.A.P. |year=1989 |title=Bean Production Problems in the Tropics |publisher=Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) |isbn=9789589183045 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jz76qSE1CL4C }} which is transmitted through seeds{{cite web |url=http://agbioresearch.msu.edu/uploads/files/Research_Center/Saginaw_Valley/100YrsMSUBeanBreeding.pdf |title=One Hundred Years of Bean Breeding at Michigan State University: A Chronology |author=James D. Kelly |access-date=30 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131107201421/http://agbioresearch.msu.edu/uploads/files/Research_Center/Saginaw_Valley/100YrsMSUBeanBreeding.pdf |archive-date=7 November 2013 |url-status=dead }}
- Michelite, descended from 'Robust', but with higher yields and better seed quality
- Sanilac, the first bush navy bean cultivar
Nutritional value
White beans are the most abundant plant-based source of phosphatidylserine (PS) currently known.Souci SW, Fachmann E, Kraut H (2008). Food Composition and Nutrition Tables. Medpharm Scientific Publishers Stuttgart. It contains notably high levels of apigenin, {{val|452|192|u=µg/kg}}, which vary widely among legumes.{{cite journal|doi=10.1007/s00217-013-1914-0|title=Non-isoflavone phytoestrogenic compound contents of various legumes|journal=European Food Research and Technology|volume=236|issue=3|pages=523–530|year=2013|last1=Konar|first1=Nevzat|s2cid=85373016}}
Consumption of baked beans has been shown to lower total cholesterol levels and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.{{Cite journal | doi=10.1079/BJN19890114|title = The effect of daily baked bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) consumption on the plasma lipid levels of young, normo-cholesterolaemic men| journal=British Journal of Nutrition| volume=61| issue=2| pages=257|year = 2007|last1 = Shutler|first1 = Susan M.| last2=Bircher| first2=Gemma M.| last3=Tredger| first3=Jacki A.| last4=Morgan| first4=Linda M.| last5=Walker| first5=Ann F.| last6=Low| first6=A. G.| doi-access=free}}{{cite journal|doi=10.1016/j.nutres.2007.04.017|title=Baked bean consumption reduces serum cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic adults|journal=Nutrition Research|volume=27|issue=7|pages=380–386|year=2007|last1=Winham|first1=Donna M.|last2=Hutchins|first2=Andrea M.}} 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.{{Cite journal | doi=10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2008.12.035|title = Kinetic study of saponins B stability in navy beans under different processing conditions| journal=Journal of Food Engineering| volume=93| pages=59–65|year = 2009|last1 = Shi|first1 = John| last2=Xue| first2=Sophia Jun| last3=Ma| first3=Ying| last4=Li| first4=Dong| last5=Kakuda| first5=Yukio| last6=Lan| first6=Yubin}} Furthermore, navy beans are the richest source of ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid among the common bean varieties.{{Cite journal | doi=10.1016/j.jfca.2005.09.003|title = Phenolic acids content of fifteen dry edible bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) varieties| journal=Journal of Food Composition and Analysis| volume=19| issue=2–3| pages=205–211|year = 2006|last1 = Luthria|first1 = Devanand L.| last2=Pastor-Corrales| first2=Marcial A.}}
Storage and safety
Dried and canned beans stay fresh longer by storing them in a pantry or other cool, dark place under {{convert|75|F|C}}. With normal seed storage, seeds should last from one to four years for replanting. Seeds stored under good conditions can be stored almost indefinitely before cooking. Beans that are discolored from the pure white color should be avoided, as they may have been poorly handled while they dried.{{cite web|title=How Long Do Beans Last?|url=http://www.eatbydate.com/proteins/beans-peas/beans-shelf-life-expiration-date/|access-date=23 November 2014}}