Episode 6 of 21: Eat with your eyes

In this episode of ‘We’ve bean around the block’, podcast host Antony Jarvie discusses dry bean market classes and culinary quality with Dr Rob Melis. Rob is a retired Professor of Plant Breeding at the University of KwaZuluNatal who has had a parallel career in commercial breeding of several crop species including dry beans. The historic refining of the local bean industry from a multitude of market classes down to only two (Speckled Sugar bean and Small White) classes is discussed at length, but the conclusion reached is that the reduction in diversity offers no significant threat to the industry. In fact, the diversity has been captured by introgression of genes from different gene-pools and the genetic gain has been concentrated in the important two market classes. The small white canning class needs to meet the very strict criteria set by the canning industry to allow for the optimisation of their factory operations. For canning, the variety and area of production of the grain batches are preserved to insure uniformity in the canning process. Canned beans are a ready-to-eat product which fits into the busy lifestyle of the middle class, whereas beans sold in dry packs are more suited to the budget of the less wealthy. For sugar beans sold in dry packs, the visual presentation of the grain is vitally important. This includes a good colour contrast between the white background and the red speckle. A dark background colour is actively selected against on the supermarket shelf because it is associated with older stock which is again linked to longer cooking times. The take home message is that the visual aspect of beans is important throughout the value chain, because at the end of the day, the consumer eats with her eyes.