Pretoria, South Africa
May 19, 2026
Amid escalating climate change and food insecurity, the ubiquitous bean may hold the promise of a healthier, more resilient future. Research by the University of Pretoria’s (UP) Department of Plant and Soil Sciences is underway to develop new lines of the common bean with a higher bioavailable iron content in their seeds, and that aren’t compromised by drought conditions.
The research forms part of a groundbreaking transcontinental study conducted in collaboration with agricultural researchers in Brazil, France, Italy and Kenya. It’s part of the “BIOfortification of common Bean to promote heaLthy dIEts and Food security in the context of climate variation” – or the BIO-BELIEF project – coordinated by Professor Karl Kunert, an extraordinary professor in the department.
The initiative, which falls under the European Research Area Network Food Systems and Climate funding scheme, was one of only 17 projects, out of 87 initial applications, to be selected for funding. It entails a multi-partner consortium of research groups from Europe, Africa and Latin America, led by UP.
“A significant outcome of the research has been the successful characterisation of experimental mutant common bean lines with a superior nutritional value, even under drought stress,” explains Prof Juan Vorster, of UP’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, who serves as the project’s co-coordinator. “This resulted in the establishment of a genetic resource of potential new breeding lines that combine improved nutrition with drought resilience.”
He considers this a crucial step towards achieving food security in vulnerable regions, particularly in Africa.
With its Italian partner, the UP team selected both South African and Italian commercial bean lines for experimentation in the respective countries, each with their unique climatic conditions. The lines also underwent drought trials under field conditions in South Africa and Italy, where they performed well under stress conditions. Through cross-breeding, the aim is to improve the bean’s nutritional quality by exposing crosses to varying drought conditions and determine the extent to which they can withstand environmental stress conditions.
Beans form part of the staple diet of many African communities, and are generally stored as dried beans, Prof Vorster explains. Before cooking them, they’re usually soaked to remove antinutrients that block the absorption of iron and other essential minerals in the human gut. Antinutrients are found in the form of phytic acid in bean seeds, where they serve as the plant's primary way of storing phosphorus.
While further boiling the beans until they’re cooked breaks down the antinutrients further, the cooking time required to boil them until they’re ready and most of the antinutrients have been removed has implications for fuel resources. In many parts of Africa, wood is the primary energy source for many communities.
“Developing a crop with a lower antinutrient content not only enables nutrients such as iron to be more bioavailable to humans, but might also save on a natural resource,” Prof Vorster says. “This saves costs for low-income families, while addressing iron deficiencies.”
In their efforts to develop biofortified, drought-resilient common beans, the researchers are assessing the potential of using advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning techniques to develop a bean line with better iron bioavailability that’s low in seed antinutrients such as phytic acid.
“By harnessing the power of AI, we can revolutionise bean breeding to address malnutrition in communities that are reliant on plant-based diets,” Prof Vorster says. “This integration also allows us, for example, to precisely identify and breed bean varieties with enhanced phosphorous management, thereby reducing seed phytic acid levels and ensuring that such biofortified beans deliver their full nutritional potential to those who need it most. This approach offers a scalable, data-driven solution for sustainable agriculture and improved food security.”
A final step is developing and testing appealing, nutritious bean-based recipes.
Working with researchers at Italy’s National Research Council Research Centre for Food and Nutrition in Rome, the UP team is also demonstrating that these “super beans” can easily be incorporated into healthy diets. The idea is to introduce these meals into local school feeding schemes.
Prof Vorster explains that UP is now looking for an industry partner, or a local or international organisation, with whom it can develop a range of local non-commercial experimental lines of the improved bean, which can be planted and utilised by small-scale farmers. This will support community sustainability and enhance nutrition by offering a more affordable option with additional health benefits.
“This cross-disciplinary work truly spans the lab to the field to the plate,” Prof Vorster says.
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