Dry Lentils Research Articles

Lentils and Gluten Cross Contact.

Lentils are naturally gluten-free and are recommended for people with celiac disease and other gluten-related disorders. However, like oats, they appear to be at a heightened risk of cross contact with gluten-containing grains. The purpose of this study was to spot check for the presence of errant gluten-containing grains in a variety of brands of lentils purchased in 2021. Twenty-five bags of different dry lentil products representing 24 brands were purchased online and at various grocery stores. Each bag of lentils was individually hand sorted. Two of the 25 packages of lentils contained errant gluten-containing grains. One 16-ounce (454 g) bag contained a grain of wheat. Another 16-ounce (454 g) bag contained a grain of wheat and a grain of barley. For a product to be considered gluten-free in the United States, it must contain <20 mg of gluten per kilogram (or 20 parts per million of gluten). A product at the 20-ppm level of gluten should contain no more than 2 intact gluten-containing grains per kilogram or 35.27 ounces (1,000 g) of food (or 1 intact gluten-containing grain in 17.64 ounces [500 g] of food). Based on these calculations, a 16-ounce (454 g) bag of lentils containing 1 intact gluten-containing grain would not be considered gluten-free. Lentils are at risk of cross contact with gluten-containing grain. Consumers should continue to sort through lentils removing foreign grain, and rinse sorted lentils under running water to remove grain dust before cooking.

Heat Uniformity Study and Viability of Red Lentil at Different Seed Moisture Contents after Low-Dose Microwave Treatment

Abstract. Microwave processing has recently gained attention for seed treatment to eradicate pests and pathogens. However, there is a lack of data on the effect of microwave treatment on legume viability, as well as heat uniformity after microwave treatment. To clarify this matter, 50 g of red lentils at four moisture contents (MC) from 9% to 21% wet basis (w.b.) were treated in a microwave oven with full output power of 1100 W (producer information) or 3.33 W g-1 (based on calorimetric method) at power levels of 30%, 40%, and 50% and exposure times of 30 and 60 s. Final temperature distribution was captured using an infrared thermal camera, and absorbed power (W g-1) and energy (J g-1) were calculated using thermal properties of lentil. Lentil viability was negatively affected at absorbed energy higher than 70 J g-1 at any moisture content. For high moisture contents, more than 70 J g-1 were absorbed at power levels of 40% and 50% after 60 s exposure time. However, the viability of dry lentils was not affected after exposure to 50% power for 60 s, which raised the average temperature to 55°C. Germination and vigor of lentil at 21% MC treated with 30% power for 30 s increased by 8.6% and 20%, respectively, and conductivity after two months storage decreased by 15%, which shows the stimulating effect of microwave on lentil seeds. Keywords: Disinfection, Heat uniformity, Legume, Lentil, Microwave, Quality, Seed enhancement, Temperature distribution, Viability.

Stable inheritance of excellent agricultural traits induced by &lt;sup&gt;12&lt;/sup&gt;C&lt;sup&gt;6+&lt;/sup&gt; heavy-ions in lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.)

The lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) belongs to the most important leguminous plants in Asia. It is a very popular and highly nutritious food. However, small pod size and low yield limit its agricultural use. Through irradiation mutagenesis of dry lentil seeds by 12C6+ ion beam, we found some lines with excellent agricultural traits in M2 progeny at doses of 90 Gy (grey), such as height increase and improvement of the number of branches and three-seed pods as well as seeds with increased grain yield. Six generations of irradiated lentils were screened for these traits. In the M8 generation, the grain yield of three high-yielding lentil lines (lines hyl-1, hyl-2, and hyl-3) reached 212.4%, 195.3% and 190.8%, respectively, of the non-irradiated controls. The results indicated that crop improvement was stable inherited across the generations. Statistical analysis revealed that the increase in grain yield was due to increased total pod number and seeds per pod. Fortunately, adverse effects of irradiation (e.g. reduced germination rates and poor pollen vitality) disappeared over the eight generations. In conclusion, we present a practical method for the improvement of lentils through radiation breeding, leading to high yielding cultivars, which could support the use of this crop in agriculture.

Development and independent laboratory validation of a simple method for the determination of paraquat and diquat in potato, cereals and pulses

A new sensitive, fast and robust method for the determination of paraquat and diquat residues in potatoes, cereals and pulses is presented. Different extraction conditions (solvent, time and temperature) have been evaluated using barley grain, potatoes and dry lentils containing incurred residues of diquat and paraquat. The finalised procedure involves extraction with a mixture of methanol/water/hydrochloric acid at 80 °C and analysis by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Diquat D4 and Paraquat D6 internal standards were added to the test portions prior to extraction. A small-scale inter-laboratory validation of the developed method for diquat and paraquat using potato and barley samples was conducted by three laboratories. The precision and accuracy of the method were determined from recovery experiments (five replicates) at 0.01 and 0.1 mg kg(-1). The recoveries obtained (n = 180) were in the range of 92-120 % with associated relative standard deviation (RSD) between 1.4-10 % for all compound/commodity/spiking concentration combinations.

Lentils (Lens culinaris Medikus Subspecies culinaris): A Whole Food for Increased Iron and Zinc Intake

Micronutrient malnutrition, the hidden hunger, affects more than 40% of the world's population, and a majority of them are in South and South East Asia and Africa. This study was carried out to determine the potential for iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) biofortification of lentils ( Lens culinaris Medikus subsp. culinaris ) to improve human nutrition. Lentils are a common and quick-cooking nutritious staple pulse in many developing countries. We analyzed the total Fe and Zn concentrations of 19 lentil genotypes grown at eight locations for 2 years in Saskatchewan, Canada. It was observed that some genetic variation exists for Fe and Zn concentrations among the lentil lines tested. The total Fe and Zn concentrations ranged from 73 to 90 mg of Fe kg(-1) and from 44 to 54 mg of Zn kg(-1). The calculated percentages of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for Fe and Zn were within the RDA ranges from a 100 g serving of dry lentils. Broad-sense heritability estimates for Fe and Zn concentrations in lentil seed were 64 and 68%, respectively. It was concluded that lentils have great potential as a whole food source of Fe and Zn for people affected by these nutrient deficiencies. This is the first report on the genetic basis for Fe and Zn micronutrient content in lentils. These results provide some understanding of the genetic basis of Fe and Zn concentrations and will allow for the development of potential strategies for genetic biofortification.

High Potential for Selenium Biofortification of Lentils (Lens culinaris L.)

Beneficial forms of selenium (Se) and their impact on human health are a global topic of interest in public health. We are studying the genetic potential for Se biofortification of pulse crops to improve human nutrition. Lentils ( Lens culinaris L.) are an important protein and carbohydrate food and are a valuable source of essential dietary components and trace elements. We analyzed the total Se concentration of 19 lentil genotypes grown at eight locations for two years in Saskatchewan, Canada. We observed significant genotypic and environmental variation in total Se concentration in lentils and that total Se concentration in lentils ranged between 425 and 673 microg kg(-1), providing 77-122% of the recommended daily intake in 100 g of dry lentils. Over 70% of the Se was present as selenomethionine (SeMet) with a smaller fraction (<20%) as inorganic Se and very small amounts as selenocysteine (SeCys). We found that soils from the locations where the lentils were grown were rich in Se (37-301 microg kg(-1)) and that lentils grown in Saskatchewan have the potential to provide an excellent natural source of this essential element. Our analyses gave us a preliminary understanding of the genetic basis of Se uptake in lentil and indicated that any potential strategy for micronutrient biofortification in lentil will require choice of field locations that minimize the spatial variability of soil Se content.

An EPR study into the effect of annealing on both the Mn2+ and free radical signal in lentil

The results of an EPR investigation on dry lentil (macrosperma) are reported in the present work. The EPR spectrum of lentil is composed of an equally spaced sextet and a single weak resonance line appearing at g=2.0050. Whole intact individual and decorticated seeds and testa were studied separately; however, ground lentil was used throughout the work to avoid any possible problems arising from the microwave cavity filling factor. Although intact and decorticated seeds were found to exhibit both Mn2+ and radical signals, the testa exhibited only the radical signal. An increase and decrease of Mn2+ and radical signals were observed, respectively, below room temperature. Above room temperature, they both decreased and these decreases were irreversible. The kinetics of these decreases were studied in detail over a temperature range of room–423 K by annealing samples at different temperatures for various times.

Dietary lentils and calcium balance in adult men

The effect of dietary lentils on calcium balance was evaluated in nine healthy male subjects. The Control and Experimental (+ 130 g dry lentils) diets were each fed for three weeks in a cross-over design. Study diets were matched to subjects' usual calcium and energy intakes, and balanced for protein and phytate. Complete fecal collections were made for all weeks and 24-hour urine collections were made in Week 3 of each period. Calcium balance was maintained during both the Control (0.4 ± 0.8 mmol/day, mean ± SEM) and Experimental periods (− 0.6 ± 0.9 mmol/day); fecal calcium remained unchanged (28.5 ± 1.7 mmol/day, 29.7 ± 1.5 mmol/day, respectively). Urinary excretion, however, varied from Control to Experimental periods for the following: calcium decreased from 5.43 ± 0.44 to 4.53 ± 0.41 mmol/day (P < 0.0001); sodium (Na) decreased from 149 ± 4 to 133 ± 3 mmol/day (P = 0.0003); potassium (K) increased from 90.8 ± 4.7 to 102.5 ± 3.1 mmol/day (P = 0.015), respectively. Changes in urinary K and Na reflected dietary intake levels. There was no change in net acid excretion. The decrease in renal calcium excretion may be due to a protective role of dietary K as well as a decrease in renal Na excretion, independent of changes in endogenous acid. This study shows that adding lentils to the diet, while maintaining a constant phytate intake, does not adversely affect calcium balance.