J Food Process Preserv. 2019;00:e14246. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/jfpp | 1 of 9 https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpp.14246 © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 1 | INTRODUCTION The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is one of the most exploited grain legume crops in Serbia. It is considered to be a crop with high nutritional value due to its high content of proteins, dietary fibers, vita‐ mins, and minerals. Additionally, it is rich in many phytochemicals such as polyphenols and lectins that have potential health benefits. Based on the aforementioned facts the species Phaseolus vulgari is increas‐ ingly gaining attention as a component in functional foods (Pascale et al., 2018). It possesses significant antiproliferative activity against colon cancer (Compos‐Vega, Oomah, Loarca‐Piña, & Vergara‐Castañeda, 2013; Mentor‐Marcel et al., 2009) and prostate cancer (Kolonel et al., 2000), as well as having antidiabetic potential (Mojica, Berhow, & Gonzalez de Mejia, 2017). The two original backgrounds of common bean are Middle American and Andean. This legume contributes to the sustainable agriculture thanks to its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen (Schmutz et al., 2014). Common bean express a wide variety of grain coat colors as one of the traits that define commercial types of com‐ mon bean. Genetic analyses have identified specific genes in charge of grain coat color (P, C, R, J, D, G, B, V, and Rk) (McClean, Lee, Otto, & Bassett, 2002). In common bean, the same group of genes that controls Received: 3 January 2019 | Revised: 2 August 2019 | Accepted: 23 September 2019 DOI: 10.1111/jfpp.14246 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Toward consistent discrimination of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) based on grain coat color, phytochemical composition, and antioxidant activity Milica Ž. Karadžić Banjac | Strahinja Z. Kovačević | Aleksandra N. Tepić Horecki | Zdravko M. Šumić | Anita S. Vakula | Sanja O. Podunavac‐Kuzmanović | Lidija R. Jevrić Abbreviations: DPPH, 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl; MLR, multiple linear regression; PCA, principal component analysis; TFC, total flavonoids content; TPC, total phenols content; VIF, variance inflation factor. Faculty of Technology Novi Sad, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia Correspondence Strahinja Z. Kovačević, Faculty of Technology Novi Sad, University of Novi Sad, Bulevar cara Lazara 1, Novi Sad, Serbia. Email: strahko@uns.ac.rs Funding information Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia, Grant/Award Number: 31044 and 172012 Abstract In this paper, 52 common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) genotypes were analyzed re‐ garding their phytochemical composition and antioxidant activity, as well as other characteristics (grain coat color, grain size, and growth size). The total phenols con‐ tent (TPC), determined according to the Folin–Ciocalteu method, varied from 0.166 to 0.772 mg/100 g DM, while total flavonoids content (TFC), determined by aluminum chloride colorimetric assay, varied from 4.861 to 161.861 mg/100 g DM. Antioxidant activity was assessed by 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging capacity and ranged from 1.419 to 12.917 mg/ml. The antioxidant activity was predicted using multiple linear regression (MLR). The obtained results revealed certain influence of grain coat color on common bean phytochemical composition and antioxidant ac‐ tivity that was confirmed throughout classification method—principal component analysis (PCA). White grain coat color samples were distinguished from colored ones on the basis of their phytochemical composition and antioxidant activity. Practical applications The antioxidant activity of 52 common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) genotypes was predicted using MLR. A certain influence of grain coat color on common bean phy‐ tochemical composition and antioxidant activity was detected applying classification chemometric techniques.