Chemical Profile and In Vitro Bioactivity of Vicia faba Beans and Pods

Vicia faba L. (fava bean) (Fabaceae) is cultivated worldwide as a crop for human consumption. In this study, beans and pods were investigated for their phytochemical content and their potential nutraceutical properties as strategy to counteract metabolic syndrome (MetS). Pods represent a fava bean industrial processing by-products. Pod ethanol extract showed the highest total phenol and flavonoid content. HPLC analysis revealed that in both pods and bean (+)-catechin and (−)-epicatechin were the two most abundant compounds. ABTS, DPPH, β-carotene bleaching, and FRAP assays were used to test V. faba antioxidant activity. The inhibition of alpha-amylase, alpha-glucosidase, and lipase was studied. Pod extract showed an ABTS radical scavenging ability (IC50 value of 1.5 mg/mL) comparable to ascorbic acid (IC50 value of 1.7 mg/mL) used as positive control, whereas bean extract was the most active in protecting lipid peroxidation. A promising alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity was also observed with the edible portion of fava beans (IC50 value of 38.31 mg/mL). Collectively, our results demonstrated the potential health properties of V. faba edible and inedible portions.