Sensory Assessment of Pressure‐Cooked and Pureed Faba Bean Cultivars: The Contribution of Cotyledon and Seed Coat Constituents Toward the Perception of Sensory Attributes

ABSTRACT This comparative study investigated the intensities of taste, aroma, flavor, and trigeminal attributes of pressure‐cooked and pureed samples of three faba bean cultivars, Malik (regular tannin, regular vicine/convicine), Fabelle (regular tannin, low vicine/convicine), and Snowbird (low tannin, regular vicine/convicine) with and without the seed coat. Cultivar differences significantly influenced the intensities of sour, earthy, and green aromas, astringency, and sour and green flavors in whole bean purees. In cotyledon purees, cultivar effects were evident for astringency, bitter taste, and brothy flavor, but not for aroma attributes, suggesting that seed coat components may play a key role in faba bean aroma. Snowbird, a low tannin cultivar, exhibited the highest bitter taste and astringency in its cotyledon puree, compared to those of regular tannin cultivars Malik and Fabelle. While Snowbird's whole bean puree had lower astringency than Malik, it was significantly more astringent than Fabelle. These findings challenge the conventional belief that condensed tannins in the seed coat are the primary contributors to bitterness in faba beans. The results show that condensed tannins contribute more to astringency, while vicine/convicine compounds, located in the cotyledons, might play a role in both astringency and bitterness. The findings of this study have direct implications for the food industry, particularly in guiding the selection of faba bean cultivars for product development with predictable sensory profiles.