Cowpea: an overview on its nutritional facts and health benefits

Abstract

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is a legume consumed as a high-quality plant protein source in many parts of the world. High protein and carbohydrate contents with a relatively low fat content and a complementary amino acid pattern to that of cereal grains make cowpea an important nutritional food in the human diet. Cowpea has gained more attention recently from consumers and researchers worldwide as a result of its exerted health beneficial properties, including anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-inflammatory and anti-hypertensive properties. Among the mechanisms that have been proposed in the prevention of chronic diseases, the most proven are attributed to the presence of compounds such as soluble and insoluble dietary fiber, phytochemicals, and proteins and peptides in cowpea. However, studies on the anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties of cowpea have produced conflicting results. Some studies support a protective effect of cowpea on the progression of cancer and inflammation, whereas others did not reveal any. Because there are only a few studies addressing health-related effects of cowpea consumption, further studies in this area are suggested. In addition, despite the reported favorable effects of cowpea on diabetes, hyperlipidemia and hypertension, a long-term epidemiological study investigating the association between cowpea consumption and diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer is also recommended. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Laboratory selection, resistance risk assessment, multi‐resistance, and management of Tetranychus urticae Koch to bifenthrin, bifenazate and cyflumetofen on cowpea

“…Cowpea is one of the most widely adapted, versatile, and nutritious grain legumes and also a fodder crop. Insect and mite damages are the greatest concerns for cowpea grain production in most cowpea producing regions and insecticide resistance is a key consideration in pest control on cowpea …”

“…Insect and mite damages are the greatest concerns for cowpea grain production in most cowpea producing regions and insecticide resistance is a key consideration in pest control on cowpea. 2,3 Acaricides including bifenthrin, bifenazate and cyflumetofen are widely used to control the two-spotted spider mite. Among them, bifenthrin is one of the non-systemic pyrethroids.…”

Comparing the quality of two traditional fried street foods from the raw material to the end product: The Beninese cowpea‐based ata and the Italian wheat‐based popizza

“…West Africa, in particular, where cowpea is commonly and traditionally consumed, accounts for the majority of the world production (Food and Agriculture Organization, ). Characterized by a high content of proteins (Jayathilake et al, ), cowpea is the principal proteinaceous food for a nutritionally vulnerable population.…”

Resistance of cowpea to Cowpea bruchid (Callosobruchus maculatus Fab.): Knowledge level on the genetic advances

“…Author(s) agree that this article remain permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License provides food and income, especially an inexpensive source of dietary protein to thousands of people in Africa and Asia (Gupta and Gopalakrishna, 2010). Cowpea is used as a natural complimentary food with cereals, due to its richness in lysine, an essential amino acid source which is low in most cereal grains (Gonçalves et al, 2016;Jayathilake et al, 2018).…”