Flavonoid content was quantified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and seed-coat colour was recorded from different legume seeds. Soybean seeds generally contained significantly higher amounts of daidzein (315–354 μg/g), genistein (438–458 μg/g), kaempferol (38–68 μg/g) and total measured flavonoids (892–917 μg/g), while cowpea and peanut seeds contained a significantly higher amount of quercetin (214–280 μg/g and 133–289 μg/g, respectively) than the other legumes tested. Significant variation for flavonoid content existed among and within legume species. Daidzein was significantly correlated with genistein and kaempferol (r = 0.92, P < 0.0001; r = 0.68, P < 0.0001), respectively. Genistein was also significantly correlated with kaempferol (r = 0.84, P < 0.0001). Due to differences in genetic background, no consistent relationship was observed between seed-coat colour and flavonoid content. Variation observed in flavonoid content and seed-coat colour would be useful for legume breeding programmes and consumer use.
