Fava beans are considered basic food in Egypt and all over the world. They are a source of many bioactive secondary metabolites. Since there are many Egyptian cultivars of fava beans, this study addresses comparative chemical profiling of three Egyptian cultivars of fava beans namely Sakha 3, Nubaria 3, and Giza 843. The study also focuses on the effect of germination on the chemical profile of phenolic compounds and saponins. Sixty-five metabolites were characterized based on their UV spectra, accurate MS, and MS/MS data using RP-HPLC-DAD-ESI-QTOF-MS, including 37 metabolites reported for the first time in fava beans. The observed metabolites are phenolic compounds (flavonoids and phenolic acids), saponins, alkaloids, amino acids, nucleosides, organic acids, sugars, and a jasmonate. In fact, upon quantifying the area of metabolites in their chromatographic profiles, it was remarkable that germination increased the quantities of flavonoids, phenolic acids, and saponins. Moreover, the yield (%) of extracts, TPC, and DPPH increased upon sprouting. The TPC and the relative amounts of flavones, saponins, and amino acids showed a good positive correlation with DPPH. These findings elucidated the first report on the metabolic profiling of these cultivars as well as their antioxidant activities.

Keywords: Fava beans (Vicia faba L.); HPLC-DAD-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS; Phenolics; Saponins; Sprouts.