The Effects of Dehulling, Germination and Cooking on the Nutritional Composition and Antioxidant Activities of Lentils

The Effects of Dehulling, Germination and Cooking on the Nutritional Composition and Antioxidant Activities of Lentils

Lentils are a common and versatile vegetable that can be cooked in a variety of ways.lentils dehuller They are often prepared in a soup or stew and are also used in other dishes like curries, salads and stir fries.lentils dehuller These vegetables have a lot of health benefits and are high in fibre. There are two different types of lentils, wet and dry. They are made by soaking, drying and milling to dehull the seeds. Wet process involves soaking for 3 to 14 hours depending on the types of lentils, and the dry process requires drying to an optimum moisture which is usually 7-11%. They are then milled to separate large and small particles and sieved before grinding. The wet process is preferred as it results in better quality split peas and lentils, but the dehulling rate may be lower than that of the dry process.

The seed coat (husk) of most legumes is indigestible and can have a bitter taste.lentils dehuller This is because of the polyphenols or tannins, which have a negative impact on protein digestibility and bio-availability of nutrients (Vidal-Valverde et al.lentils dehuller , 2002). Traditional processing techniques such as soaking and dehulling are used to reduce these anti-nutritional components in chickpeas, pigeon peas and lentils. Dehulling also improves palatability, flavour and texture of these pulses by reducing their bitterness.

However, there is limited information on how dehulling, germination and cooking affect the nutritional composition, antioxidant properties and fatty acid profile of these legumes.lentils dehuller Therefore, the present investigation was designed to determine the effects of these processes on the phytic acid and trypsin inhibitor content, antioxidant activities and nutritional properties in five varieties of lentil (VL Masoor 125, VL Masoor 133, VL 142, VL 507 and VL 514).

Total phenolic content and antioxidant activity was determined by using the Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assay.lentils dehuller The results showed that FRAP values decreased with the dehulling and germination treatments, while it did not decrease with the cooking treatment. The FRAP assay is an easy, inexpensive and fast method for the detection of antioxidants in food. It is a colorimetric assay which measures the ability of the sample to reduce ferric tripyridyltriazine to its ferrous form.

Moreover, phytic acid content of the studied samples decreased with the dehulling and germination treatment.lentils dehuller This decrease was attributed to the removal of the indigestible husk portion and increased endosperm concentration. Trypsin inhibitor content of the study legumes also decreased with the dehulling and germination procedures. These results suggest that the addition of germination and dehulling to conventional processing can significantly enhance the nutritional value of these legumes. The results of this research can help in determining the best process for producing premium-quality lentils that are both healthy and delicious. It will also be useful in developing new functional foods for a healthier population.

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