The effect of germinated black lentils on cookie quality by applying ultraviolet radiation and ultrasound technology.

Black lentils contain protein, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins, as well as phytochemicals and various bioactive compounds. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation and ultrasound (US) methods are innovative technologies that can be used to increase the efficiency of the germination process in grains and legumes. To improve the nutritional value and bioactive compounds of the cookies, black lentils germinated by applying UV radiation and US technology were used in the cookie formulation. Before the germination process, UV, US, and their combination (UV+US) were applied, and pretreated and unpretreated germinated black lentil flours were used at a level of 20% in the cookie formulation. The results revealed that pretreatment application increased the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity more than the lentil sample germinated without any treatment. In addition, the pretreatments applied further reduced the amount of phytic acid in black lentils and the lowest phytic acid content was obtained with the UV-US combination. Compared to cookies containing unpretreated germinated black lentil flour, higher L* values and lower a* values were obtained in the cookie samples containing pretreated germinated black lentil flour. Cookies containing all pretreated germinated lentils generally exhibited higher Ca and K content. This study demonstrated that UV radiation and US improved the nutritional value and bioactive components of the germinated black lentil flour and the cookies in which it was used, compared to the black lentils germinated without any treatment. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Pretreatment of black lentils with UV/US application before germination resulted in a greater increase in total phenolic content and antioxidant activity compared to the control sample. The applied pretreatments caused a further decrease in the amount of phytic acid in black lentil samples. Black lentils germinated with the UV+US combination revealed higher Ca, Fe, K, and Mg content compared to the sample germinated without any treatment.

Morphological characterization of gamma rays induced multipodding mutant (mp) in lentil cultivar Pant L 406.

PURPOSE: Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.), being a self-pollinated crop with narrow genetic base, is an important target crop for mutation breeding experiments. The purpose of the investigation was to create, select and characterize unique mutations in inflorescence traits that have strong impact on lentil yield and yield stability. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Healthy and uniform seeds (moisture 11.0%) of Lens culinaris Medik. cultivar Pant L 406 were irradiated with 100, 200, 300 and 400 Gy of gamma rays. The mutagenized populations were maintained up to mutant generation third (M3) to screen for stable mutations in the inflorescence architecture of the lentil. The selected mutant mp 'Multipodding' trait, i.e. multiple pods per peduncle, was morphologically characterized and quantified in subsequent mutant generation fourth (M4). RESULTS: The morphological characterization of the 'multipodding' mutant (mp) revealed substantial morphological mutations were induced by the treatment of gamma rays. The estimation of yield per plant (g) between the mutant (mp) and parent cultivar Pant L 406 showed non-significant variation due to significant reduction in seed weight. CONCLUSIONS: The novel 'multipodding' (mp) mutant induced in the present study can play a key role in understanding the genetic network controlling legume inflorescence architecture and in genomics-assisted breeding for development of elite lentil cultivars.

On the relevance of thermophysical characterization in the microwave treatment of legumes.

This study is focused on the characterization of the thermal behavior and physical properties of the most consumed legumes in the daily diet such as beans, lentils and chickpeas. Because of a lack of information in the literature about the effect of microwave treatments on legumes, characterization protocols have been applied before and after subjecting them to microwave irradiation suitable for pest disinfestation. The effects of two different radiative treatments, one suitable for inactivating the infesting fauna and the other simulating uncontrolled treatments, characterized by very high temperatures, were tested. The impacts of microwave treatments on legumes, in terms of thermal behavior, germination capability, tannin and total polyphenol composition and other physical properties (water uptake capability, texture change, mineral losses), after typical soaking cooking processes, are also studied. The thermal properties of the examined legumes were found to be comparable for all samples. Similarly, no significant differences in antinutritional factors, polyphenol and tannin content among all samples were detected. From the structural point of view, samples exposed to high temperatures showed texture degradation and in turn, loss of mineral nutrients during soaking processes. Moreover, their germination capability was drastically reduced. These latter results highlighted why it is important to correctly perform the radiative microwave process in order to both ensure effective and safe disinfestation and avoid nutritional value loss and the worsening of physical properties.

Effect of illumination on the content of melatonin, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activity during germination of lentils (Lens culinaris L.) and kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.).

This study reports the effects of two different illumination conditions during germination (12 h light/12 h dark vs 24 h dark) in lentils (Lens culinaris L.) and kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) on the content of melatonin and phenolic compounds, as well as the antioxidant activity. Germination led to relative increase in melatonin content and significant antioxidant activity, while the content of phenolic compounds decreased. The highest melatonin content was obtained after 6 days of germination under 24 h dark for both legumes. These germinated legume seeds with improved levels of melatonin might play a protective role against free radicals. Thus, considering the potent antioxidant activity of melatonin, these sprouts can be consumed as direct foods and be offered as preventive food strategies in combating chronic diseases through the diet.

Transcriptional regulation of the ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase isoforms in the leaf and the stem under long and short photoperiod in lentil.

ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) is a key enzyme in plant starch biosynthesis. It contains large (LS) and small (SS) subunits encoded by two different genes. In this study, we explored the transcriptional regulation of both the LS and SS subunits of AGPase in stem and leaf under different photoperiods length in lentil. To this end, we first isolated and characterized different isoforms of the LS and SS of lentil AGPase and then we performed quantitative real time PCR (qPCR) to see the effect of photoperiod length on the transcription of the AGPase isforms under the different photoperiod regimes in lentil. Analysis of the qPCR results revealed that the transcription of different isoforms of the LSs and the SSs of lentil AGPase are differentially regulated when photoperiod shifted from long-day to short-day in stem and leaves. While transcript levels of LS1 and SS2 in leaf significantly decreased, overall transcript levels of SS1 increased in short-day regime. Our results indicated that day length affects the transcription of lentil AGPase isoforms differentially in stems and leaves most likely to supply carbon from the stem to other tissues to regulate carbon metabolism under short-day conditions.

[Effect of the increasing levels of soil radioactive pollution on the biochemical composition of plants].

The study was undertaken to study a relationship between the changes of some parameters of the biochemical and mineral composition of different plants, such as rape, pods, and lentil, and the levels of soil radiation pollution, by using the conventional methods. Radioactive pollution of dark-grey forest soils was found to cause a change in the biochemical composition of plant seeds even at the level of cesium 137 (137Cs) within the present temporary permissible levels (TPL) (600 Bq/kg): there were elevated concentrations of salts of potassium, phosphorus, ammonia nitrogen, catechols, sucrose, and some amino acids. With the radioactive cesium level exceeding the TPL, biochemical changes in the seeds depended on the species of the plants: in the rape seeds, the additional formation of sucrose and amino acids continued, but less intensively than with its lower radiation; the pod beans were significantly positively correlated with the increasing amounts of catechols.

Effects of irradiation on protein electrophoretic properties, water absorption and cooking quality of lentils.

Effects of gamma irradiation at doses of 1 kGy, 5 kGy, and 10 kGy on water absorption properties, cooking quality and electrophoretic patterns of insoluble proteins of red and green lentil samples were investigated. The densitometric analysis indicated that the effects of irradiation on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polycrylamide gel electrophoresis patterns of red and green lentil proteins were not significant. Generally, a 1 kGy irradiation dose did not significantly affect the water absorption properties of the lentil samples while significant increases were observed at the 5 kGy level. The dry and wet cooking times were found to be significantly decreased, as the irradiation level increased in all red and green lentil samples.