Dehulling and Cooking Quality of Red Lentils - Effects of Cultivar, Storage Time, Moisture Content, and Pre-Treatments

Abstract

Red lentils produced in Canada undergo biochemical changes when exported to countries with different climates. This may adversely affect their end-use as chemical composition affects dehulling quality. Cooking quality, determined via evaluation of texture parameters of cooked lentils, is another very important characteristic for red lentils. Therefore, there is a need to develop a knowledge base on the effects of storage conditions and storage pre-treatments on dehulling and cooking qualities of Canadian red lentils. In this study, effects of storage time (up to 1 year), storage moisture content (10 and 13%, wb) and storage pre-treatments ( cycles of freezing-thawing, cycles of wetting and drying) on dehulling and cooking qualities of red lentils (Redberry and Impact cultivars) are presented and discussed. Generally, the pre-treated Redberry samples reached higher dehulling efficiency values and lower or similar dehulling loss values when compared to the corresponding Impact samples. Compared to lentils which underwent freeze/thaw cycles, the lentils which underwent wet/dry cycles exhibited higher losses and lower efficiency of dehulling. Also, the lentils which underwent wet/dry cycles had higher values of slope and force ratio than the lentils which underwent freeze/thaw cycles. The storage pre-treatment or its interaction with storage time or storage moisture content contributed significantly to the values of slope and force ratio of both cultivars. Storage time and its interaction with storage moisture content were the highest significant contributors to the changes in the deformation ratio of cooked lentils.