Development of Antioxidant and Nutritious Lentil (Lens culinaris) Flour Using Controlled Optimized Germination as a Bioprocess.

Elena Peñas,Daniel Rico,María Del Carmen García,Dilip K Rai,Juana Frias,Ana B Martín-Diana,Cristina Martínez-Villaluenga

doi:10.3390/foods10122924

Abstract

Germination is an efficient and natural strategy that allows the modification of the nutritional value and the nutraceutical properties of seeds, enabling one to tailor the process according to its final use. This study aimed at optimization of germination conditions to produce novel lentil flours with improved nutritional and functional features. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was applied to model the effect of temperature (15–27 °C) and time (1–5 days) on different nutritional and quality parameters of lentil flours including proximate composition, content and profile of fatty acids, content of phytic acid, ascorbic acid and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), content and profile of phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, expected glycemic index (GI) and color during germination. As shown by RSM polynomial models, sprouting promoted the reduction of phytic acid content and enhanced the levels of ascorbic acid, GABA, insoluble phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity and expected GI, and modified the color of the resultant lentil flours. RSM optimization of germination temperature and time using desirability function revealed that the optimal process conditions to maximize the nutritional, bioactive and quality properties of sprouted lentil flours were 21 °C for 3.5 days.

Highlights

Malnutrition and unbalanced nutrition due to poor dietary choices are among the main factors that affect pathologies such as diabetes, obesity and/or anemia, with a major impact on infant and elderly populations, in which more than a third of total illnesses in the world are attributed to diet
The understanding of the effect of germination conditions on nutritional, bioactive and techno-functional properties of sprouted lentil flours is essential for designing novel food products derived from sprouted flours with high-added value
The results of the present study suggest that activation of endogenous phytases, enzymes that hydrolyze phytic acid to lower inositol phosphates and free phosphorus in sprouted lentils occurs at longer sprouting times, and reductions of 50% in the levels of this compound can be achieved at germination times of 5 days (Figure 4)

Summary

Introduction

Malnutrition and unbalanced nutrition due to poor dietary choices are among the main factors that affect pathologies such as diabetes, obesity and/or anemia, with a major impact on infant and elderly populations, in which more than a third of total illnesses in the world are attributed to diet. In this sense, worldwide and especially European citizens are becoming increasingly conscious of healthy eating habits and dietary requirements [1]. Different authors have reported that these benefits can be associated with vitamins (C, D, E), minerals (zinc), melatonin, GABA, and other phytochemicals and functional ingredients, contributing to the disease prevention or control [1,2]

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