title: Zolfino landrace (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) from Pratomagno: general and specific features of a functional food.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Zolfino bean is a variety of Phaseolus vulgaris, which is cultivated in a limited area of Tuscany, Italy, and is widely appreciated for its flavor and culinary uses.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  A yellow Zolfino landrace cultivated in the Leccio-Reggello area was characterized and compared with three other varieties of Phaseolus vulgaris (i.e. the Borlotto, Cannellino, and Corona beans) in terms of its general features and potential as an antioxidant/anti-inflammatory agent.
  
  
  METHODS
  The length, width, thickness, equatorial section surface, weight, volume, and seed coat section were measured in all the beans. The seed surface area was also estimated by an original empirical method. The ability of the different beans to interfere with the enzymes of the polyol pathway (that is, aldose reductase (AR) and sorbitol dehydrogenase) was tested using the supernatant after soaking the beans at room temperature and after thermal treatment, which simulated the bean-cooking process in a controlled fashion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Concerning the general features, Zolfino was comparable with other beans, except Corona, in terms of surface-volume ratio, which possesses the lowest tegument thickness. Moreover, Zolfino appears the most effective in inhibiting AR activity. The inhibitory ability is unaffected by thermal treatment and appears to be associated with compound(s) present in the coat of the bean.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The ability of Zolfino to inhibit AR, thus reducing the flux of glucose through the polyol pathway, highlights the features of Zolfino as a functional food, potentially useful in treating the dysfunctions linked to the hyperactivity of AR, such as diabetic complications or inflammatory responses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.|Interdepartmental Research Center Nutrafood 'Nutraceuticals and Food for Health', University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Balestri
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Rossella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rotondo
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.|Interdepartmental Research Center Nutrafood 'Nutraceuticals and Food for Health', University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moschini
authors.affiliation: Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pellegrino
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.|Interdepartmental Research Center Nutrafood 'Nutraceuticals and Food for Health', University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cappiello
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Vito
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Barracco
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Livia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Misuri
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.|Interdepartmental Research Center Nutrafood 'Nutraceuticals and Food for Health', University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sorce
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.|Interdepartmental Research Center Nutrafood 'Nutraceuticals and Food for Health', University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Andreucci
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.|Interdepartmental Research Center Nutrafood 'Nutraceuticals and Food for Health', University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; antonella.delcorso@unipi.it.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Del-Corso
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.|Interdepartmental Research Center Nutrafood 'Nutraceuticals and Food for Health', University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Mura
keywords: Phaseolus vulgaris; Zolfino bean; aldose reductase; polyol pathway; sorbitol dehydrogenase