Mexican yam bean (Pachyrhizus erosus L. Urban): A neglected leguminous root crop with emerging potential for food security and industrial applications

Abstract

Meeting the projected food demands of a global population nearing 10 billion by 2050 requires innovative strategies to expand food supply while addressing nutritional and environmental challenges. This review evaluates the potential of the Mexican yam bean (Pachyrhizus erosus L. Urban), an underutilized leguminous crop cultivated mainly for its storage roots—with tender pods also consumed as a vegetable—to enhance food security and nutritional quality. Its unique attributes, including nitrogen fixation and propagation through true seed, underpin its high storage root yields and favorable nutrient profile, particularly in essential minerals such as iron. The review provides novel insights into its versatile applications across food, pharmaceutical, agricultural, and cosmetic industries by synthesizing global research on its photosynthetic performance, yield determinants, and compositional properties. These findings underscore the crop's promise as a valuable resource for diversifying agricultural production and improving dietary mineral intake, especially in marginal production systems.