Chickpea is an important pulse crop with a wide range of potential nutritional benefits because of its chemical composition. The purpose of the current work was to provide the chemical composition of "kabuli"-type chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) developed in Argentina for nutritional purpose. Protein, oil and ash contents, fatty acid, tocopherol and mineral element compositions were studied. Among the studied genotypes, protein content ranged from 18.46 to 24.46 g/100g, oil content ranged from 5.68 to 9.01 g/100g and ash from 3.55 to 4.46 g/100g. Linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids were the most abundant fatty acids. The average oleic-to-linoleic ratio was 0.62 and average iodine value was 117.82. Tocopherols, well-established natural antioxidants, were found in chickpea seeds in relatively similar amounts across all genotypes. Mineral element analysis showed that chickpea was rich in macronutrients such as K, P, Mg and Ca. The nutritional composition of chickpea genotypes developed and grown in Argentina provides useful information for breeding programs, food marketing and consumers and establishes chickpea as component of a balanced human diet.

Minerals aff ect the nutritional, rheological, and safety features of food products. Soybeans represent a good source of minerals. Th e objective of this study was to evaluate the eff ect of the environment on the variability of mineral elements in Argentinean soybeans in fi eld experiments. Climatic variables (maximum, mean, and minimum air temperature; solar radiation; precipitation; and potential evapotranspiration) were recorded daily during the seed fi lling period; soil properties were also reported. Minerals in soybeans were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Selenium was determined by hydride generation coupled to an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Molybdenum and selenium were signifi cantly increased (over 100%) in soybeans grown at higher soil pH with high available molybdenum. Air temperature was the climatic variable that best predicted changes in the soybean seed mineral composition. Optimum weather conditions (OWC) were defi ned by thresholds of the climatic variables by regression trees for desirable mineral composition. Maximum and minimum daily air temperatures during the seed fi lling period (30.1 and 17.1°C, respectively) were the OWC for maximizing calcium, magnesium, and manganese contents. A maximum daily air temperature over 28.0°C resulted in higher iron and cobalt levels (p < 0.001). Maximum zinc content was observed when solar radiation exceeded 18.1 MJ m-2 during seed fi lling (p < 0.001). Results from this study showed variation in the mineral composition of soybeans. Environmental features during the seed fi lling period should be considered when desired mineral composition is expected in soybean according to the end uses.