MINERALS, TRACE ELEMENTS AND FLAVONOIDS CONTENT IN WHITE AND COLOURED KIDNEY BEAN

The aim of the study was to determine the contents of mineral elements (Ca, K, Mg, N, P), trace elements (Cu, Fe, Mn, Cd, Pb, Ni, Co, Cr, and Zn), and certain phenolic compounds (flavonoids, isoflavones) in the fourteen varieties of cultivated raw kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.).Heavy metals and mineral elements were analyzed by AAS methods, phenolics were detected by HPLC. Compared with vegetables, legumes proved to be a good source of many minerals and elements, e.g., the contents of K, Mg, P, Fe, and Zn varied in the ranges 13.02 - 23.08 g.kg-1, 1.41 - 2.52 g.kg-