Dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is one of the most important pulses consumed in the world. Total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, total monomeric anthocyanin content and antioxidant capacity were determined, using ferric reducing antioxidant power and free radical scavenging activity, in 255 lines grown under the same environmental conditions. For all parameters analysed, there was a wide range of variability, with differences always above one order of magnitude. Phenolic compounds in beans with coloured coats were found to be more efficient antioxidants than those with completely white coats, and samples with more strongly coloured coats (red, cream, black, pink and brown) showed the highest antioxidant capacities. Based on the strong correlation detected between the variables, total phenolic content can be considered an appropriate indicator of antioxidant activity. The results provide a robust database for selecting those lines of greater functional and nutritional interest in terms of cultivation for direct consumption, for inclusions in food formulations or for use in future breeding programs.

Ninety-four samples of Asturian natural cider were analyzed for titratable and volatile acidities, pH, alcoholic, total polyphenol, and acidic polysaccharide contents, nonvolatile acids, polyalcohols, residual sugars, and major volatile compounds. A partial least-squares regression analysis (PLR-1) was performed to correlate the chemical composition and the origin of the raw material, the cider samples being grouped into two categories: an “odd” class, cider made from foreign apples (1995 and 1997), and an “even” class, ciders made from Asturian apples (1996 and 1998). The mathematical model has a multiple linear correlation coefficient of 80%. Keywords: Alcoholic beverages; cider composition; HPLC; GC

Phenolic compounds in 46 Spanish cider apple varieties were determined by RP-HPLC with direct injection. Several pattern recognition procedures, including principal component analysis (PCA), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), and partial least squares (PLS-1), were applied to the data in an attempt to classify the samples into bitter and nonbitter categories. Reliable decision rules were obtained by both LDA and PLS-1. LDA achieved 91.3 and 85.7% correct classification respectively, for internal and external evaluation of the model. Keywords: Cider apple; polyphenols; direct injection HPLC; chemometric