Kacang Panjang

Kacang panjang or long beans with scientific name as Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. (formerly known as Vigna sinensis) is belongs to genus Vigna of the family Leguminosae (The Plant List, 2013). Kacang panjang is included as legumes vegetables, such as chickpeas, winged bean, and peas. Most of Indonesian people fond of  this vegetable because of its delicious and intricate tastes. Young long beans are often used as an ingredient of Indonesian food, such as gado-gado, karedok, and  various long beans menu of cuisines. Nutrients content of young long beans and its young leaf is presented in Table 1.

Table 1. Nutrients content of seed, leaf, and pod of long beans for every 100 gram of fresh material

Nutrient	Unit		Content
O	O	Seed	Leaf	Pod
Energy	Calory	357	34	44
Protein	g	17.3	4.1	2.7
Fat	g	1.5	0.4	0.3
Carbohydrate	g	70	5.8	7.8
Calcium	mg	163	134	49
Phosphor	mg	437	145	347
Iron (Fe)	mg	6.9	6.2	0.7
Vitamin A	SI	0	5240	335
Vitamin B1	mg	0.57	0.28	0.13
Vitamin C	mg	2	29	21
Water	g	12.2	88.3	88.5
Edible part	%	100	65	75

According to Table 1, the content of Vitamin A in the young leaf of long beans is considered high compared to seed and pod. Hence, the consumption of young leaves of long beans can increase the intake of Vitamin A for communities. In addition, the harvest period for  the leaves of long beans is relatively short, which can effectively supply the market demand.

Reference

Departemen Pertanian, Direktorat Jenderal Tanaman Pangan dan Hortikultura, 1996. Budidaya Tanaman Sayuran. pp II-1 – II-20.

The Plant List, 2013. The Plant List Version 1.1. A working list of all plant species.