Quality Of Lentils Research Articles

Enhancing the productivity and nutritional quality of lentil (Lens culinaris L.) with combined foliar application of zinc and urea

There is need to enhance the nutritional quality of lentil for ameliorating nutrient deficiencies in people especially vegetarians. The study was carried out to investigate the effect of soil application of zinc (Zn) and foliar application of Zn and nitrogen [(N) through urea] on grain yield and enrichment of grain with Zn in lentil. The field experiments were conducted at two locations Ludhiana and Faridkot, India. The experiment was consisted of eleven treatments (control, soil application of 25 kg ha−1 ZnSO4 at sowing time, foliar spray of sole 0.5% ZnSO4 or 2% urea and combined foliar spray of 0.5% ZnSO4 + 2% urea at flowering, pod formation, and flowering + pod formation stages). The foliar application of 0.5% ZnSO4 + 2% urea spray at flowering + pod formation stages significantly improved the grain yield, Zn and iron (Fe) concentration at maturity in stover and grain (whole as well as split) of lentil and protein content in stover and grain. The combined application of ZnSO4 (0.5%) + urea (2%) at flowering + pod formation stages can be done to improve not only the grain yield (on an average 29.5%) but also the Zn (49.7%) and Fe (17.4%) concentration in lentil grain, which, can help in ameliorating malnutrition in human population.

Integrated Nutrient Management for Lentil Cultivation: Improving Soil Fertility, Nutrient Content, and Economic Returns

Context: -Overuse of chemical fertilizers reduces soil fertility, which highlights the need to switch to integrated farming practices for sustainable growth. Purpose: – A field experiment was conducted to analyse the effects of various integrated nutrient management strategies on soil fertility generally, nutrient level fluctuations in the soil, plant uptake, and nutrient content and economic consequences in lentil farming. Method: – Eight different treatments representing various nutrient sources were used in the experiment, which used a Randomized Block Design. Each treatment had three replications. Result: – The results indicated that there was no significant difference among 8 different treatments for soil pH and EC. The available nitrogen, available phosphorus and available potassium in soil and content in straw and seed were found highest in T 8 while protein content in seed was also found highest in T 8 (24.85 %) followed by T 7 (24.50 %). But the economics of cultivation indicated T 4 to be the best with the highest B:C ratio (1.96). Conclusion: – The proper and balanced usage of organic and inorganic sources of nutrient increased soil accessible nutrient pool and there was abundant of the remainder of nutrient in the soil. The impact of combined RDF, rhizobium, vermicompost and FYM may be the reason in higher nutrient content in soil, plants and quality of lentil. Implication: – The practice of integrated nutrient management strategies are for improving lentil cultivation's soil fertility, nutrient uptake, protein content, and overall economic viability.

New insights into the rapid germination process of lentil and cowpea seeds: High thiamine and folate, and low α-galactoside content

During germination sensu-stricto in pulses, an increase in the content of thiamine (B1) and folate (B9) vitamins is expected, along with a reduction in α-galactoside levels. The aim of our study was to optimize germination to increase the nutritional quality of lentils and cowpeas. An experimental design was carried out at 12 h and 24 h of imbibition to analyze the effects of temperature, light, and water content on thiamine, folate, and α-galactoside content. Germination increased thiamine content by 152% in lentils, while in cowpeas, the increase was only 10%. Folate content in cowpea increased by 33%, while α-galactoside content decreased by 99% in cowpeas and by 48% in lentils. Germination sensu-stricto can be safely implemented by any food company worldwide as it is simple and involves less sanitary risk than sprouting. This opens up opportunities for enhancing food nutrient content and new ways of processing pulses.

The Effect of Phosphorus Fertilization on Transcriptome Expression Profile during Lentil Pod and Seed Development

Seed coat hardness and water permeability, which are determined by the accumulation of tannins through the phenylpropanoid pathway in the seed, are important lentil quality characteristics. The impact of seeds’ developmental stage and phosphorus (P) fertilization levels on tannin accumulation is still under research. Through RNA sequencing, this study explored the effect of three P treatments (P0, 6 mg kg−1; P1, 15 mg kg−1; and P2, 21 mg kg−1) and three seed maturity stages (S1, immature 2 mm seed in a flat pod; S2, fully developed seed within the pod; and S3, mature seed at the beginning of the pod’s discoloration) on lentil gene expression. The key findings highlighted a significant influence of the seed maturity stage on phenylpropanoid genes, with S1 displaying the highest expression levels, and on phosphorus-related Gene Ontology (GO) terms that presented the highest number of downregulated genes in the S3 to S1 comparison. P exhibited a targeted effect on the flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H) and flavonol synthase (FLS) genes and specific gene clusters, as shown by the differential gene expression analysis. This study investigates the molecular mechanisms related to phosphorus fertilization and seed maturity stages that influence tannin accumulation, offering valuable information for the enhancement of lentil product quality through breeding programs.

Yield, Economics, Nutrient uptake and Quality of Lentil (Lens culinaris L.) as Influence by Salicylic Acid and Potassium Nitrate under Rainfed Condition

A field experiment was conducted at Agricultural Research Farm, Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Utlou, Bishnupur District, Manipur, India during the year 2018-2019 to study the effect of salicylic acid and potassium nitrate on yield, economics and quality of lentil under rainfed conditions. The findings indicated that seed priming of salicylic acid (SA) @ 200 ppm and scaling up of potassium nitrate (KNO3) up to 1.5% as foliar application significantly enhanced the yield (grain yield, stover yield and biomass yield) and economics, nutrient uptake and quality of lentil. The treatment combination salicylic acid @ 200 ppm + KNO3 1.5% gave the maximum grain yield (1104.88 kg/ha), stover yield (1799.06 kg/ha) and biomass yield (2903.95 kg/ha). The gross returns (₹73617), net returns (₹38729) and benefit:cost ratio (2.11) were highest through application of SA @ 200 ppm and KNO3 @ 1.5%. The N, P and K uptake (kg/ha) and protein content of lentil were highest through application of SA @ 200 ppm and KNO3 @ 1.5%.

Effects of Different Concentrations of Dairy Wastewater on Growth, Yield and Protein Quality of Lentils

Effects of Different Concentrations of Dairy Wastewater on Growth, Yield and Protein Quality of Lentils

Effect of High Temperature Stress During the Reproductive Stage on Grain Yield and Nutritional Quality of Lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus).

High temperature during the reproductive stage limits the growth and development of lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus). The reproductive and seed filling periods are the most sensitive to heat stress, resulting in limited yield and nutritional quality. Climate change causes frequent incidents of heat stress for global food crop production. This study aimed to assess the impact of high temperature during the reproductive stage of lentil on grain yield, nutritional value, and cooking quality. Thirty-six lentil genotypes were evaluated under controlled conditions for their high temperature response. Genotypic variation was significant (p < 0.001) for all the traits under study. High temperature-induced conditions reduced protein, iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) concentrations in lentils. Under heat stress conditions, mineral concentrations among lentil genotypes varied from 6.0 to 8.8 mg/100 g for Fe and from 4.9 to 6.6 mg/100 g for Zn. Protein ranged from 21.9 to 24.3 g/100 g. Cooking time was significantly reduced due to high temperature treatment; the range was 3–11 min, while under no stress conditions, cooking time variation was from 5 to 14 min. Phytic acid variation was 0.5–1.2 g/100 g under no stress conditions, while under heat stress conditions, phytic acid ranged from 0.4 to 1.4 g/100 g. All genotypes had highly significant bioavailable Fe and moderately bioavailable Zn under no stress conditions. Whereas under heat stress conditions, Fe and Zn bioavailability was reduced due to increased phytic acid levels. Our results will greatly benefit the development of biofortified lentil cultivars for global breeding programs to generate promising genotypes with low phytic acid and phytic acid/micronutrient ratio to combat micronutrient malnutrition.

The Effect of Different Germination Times on Some Nutritional and Anti-Nutritional Properties of Green Lentil Sprouts

In the developing, changing and constantly renewing food and beverage sector, different nutrition trends are becoming more important day by day. One of these is the consumption of germinated legumes, which has attracted attention in the world recently and has many practitioners. The germination process is an effective process on the nutritional values of legumes and can make them even more valuable. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of germination time (3, 6, 9 days) on some nutritional and anti-nutritional contents contained in green lentils sprouts. Both sprouting period and cultivars significantly influenced the nutritional quality of lentil sprouts. The values of protein, starch, phytic acid, condensed tannins, total phenolic, total flavonoid, free radical scavenging activity contents of sprouting periods ranged between 26.4 (Raw) to 27.8% (9 day), 48.8 (raw) to 45.5% (9 day), 0.59 (6 days) to 1.09% (raw), 0.60 (3 days) to 0.77% (9 days), 3.97 (raw) to 10.24 mg GA/g (9 days), 0.55 (raw) 4.58 mg QE/g (9 days), 9.32 (raw) to 13.50% (9 day), respectively. The highest ash, Fe, Cu, Mn and Zn contents were obtained from raw grains with 2.76%, 5.96 mg 100g-1, 0.95 mg 100g-1, 1.34 mg 100g-1 and 4.09 mg 100g-1 values. Germination process improved quality of lentils by enhancing the nutritive value and digestibility of nutrients and reducing the anti-nutrients.

Productivity, nutrient uptake and quality of lentil (Lens culinaris) and soil fertility as influenced by organic manures and fertilizers

A field experiment was conducted during the rabi season of 2015-16 and 2016-17 at Panwari village of Agra district, (Uttar Pradesh) to study the effect of organic manures and inorganic fertilizers on yield, uptake of nutrients and quality of lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus). Treatments consisting four levels of organic manures and three levels of inorganic fertilizers were evaluated in factorial randomized block design with three replications. Results revealed that application of 2.5t FYM + 1.25 t vermicompost ha-1 resulted in significantly maximum value of plant height (51.2cm), branches/plant (7.4) and pods/plant (116.3) as compared to application of 5t FYM and 2.5t vermicompost ha-1 alone and control. Similarly, application of 100% RDF also produced significantly taller plants (50.6cm) and maximum branches/plant (7.6),pods/plant (116.2), grain (1.65t ha-1 and straw (2.01t ha-1) yields. The increases in grain and straw yield were 33.0 and 28.0%, respectively due to 100% RDF over control. The significantly highest yield of grain (1.75 t ha-1) and straw (2.12t ha-1) were recorded with combined application of 2.5t FYM + 1.25t vermicompost ha-1 than those of 5t FYM and 2.5t vermicompost ha-1 alone and control. The increases in grain and straw yield due to 2.5t FYM + 1.25t vermicompost ha-1 were 53.5 and 50.3% over control, respectively. The interaction effect of 2.5t FYM + 1.25t vermicompost ha-1 and 100% RDF recorded maximum yield of grain (1.95t ha-1) and straw (2.31t ha-1) than other treatment combinations. Combined application of FYM (2.5t ha-1) and vermicompost (1.25t ha-1) recorded significantly highest protein content in grain and straw of lentil. The uptake of nutrients (N, P, K and S) and status of these nutrients in post harvest soil were recorded maximum with 2.5t FYM + 1.25t vermicompost ha-1. Application of 100% RDF also resulted in significantly higher values of protein content, uptake of nutrients and status of available nutrients in post harvest soil than that of 50% RDF.

Productivity, nutrient uptake and quality of lentil (Lens culinaris) and soil fertility as influenced by organic manures and fertilizers

A field experiment was conducted during the rabi season of 2015-16 and 2016-17 at Panwari village of Agra district, (Uttar Pradesh) to study the effect of organic manures and inorganic fertilizers on yield, uptake of nutrients and quality of lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus). Treatments consisting four levels of organic manures and three levels of inorganic fertilizers were evaluated in factorial randomized block design with three replications. Results revealed that application of 2.5t FYM + 1.25 t vermicompost ha-1 resulted in significantly maximum value of plant height (51.2cm), branches/plant (7.4) and pods/plant (116.3) as compared to application of 5t FYM and 2.5t vermicompost ha-1 alone and control. Similarly, application of 100% RDF also produced significantly taller plants (50.6cm) and maximum branches/plant (7.6),pods/plant (116.2), grain (1.65t ha-1 and straw (2.01t ha-1) yields. The increases in grain and straw yield were 33.0 and 28.0%, respectively due to 100% RDF over control. The significantly highest yield of grain (1.75 t ha-1) and straw (2.12t ha-1) were recorded with combined application of 2.5t FYM + 1.25t vermicompost ha-1 than those of 5t FYM and 2.5t vermicompost ha-1 alone and control. The increases in grain and straw yield due to 2.5t FYM + 1.25t vermicompost ha-1 were 53.5 and 50.3% over control, respectively. The interaction effect of 2.5t FYM + 1.25t vermicompost ha-1 and 100% RDF recorded maximum yield of grain (1.95t ha-1) and straw (2.31t ha-1) than other treatment combinations. Combined application of FYM (2.5t ha-1) and vermicompost (1.25t ha-1) recorded significantly highest protein content in grain and straw of lentil. The uptake of nutrients (N, P, K and S) and status of these nutrients in post harvest soil were recorded maximum with 2.5t FYM + 1.25t vermicompost ha-1. Application of 100% RDF also resulted in significantly higher values of protein content, uptake of nutrients and status of available nutrients in post harvest soil than that of 50% RDF.

Stemphylium blight reduces milling qualities of lentil

AbstractStemphylium blight (SB) (Stemphylium botryosum) is a major disease of lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) in many global production regions. In Canada, SB typically occurs after canopy closure in the second half of the growing season when weather conditions become warm and humid. Experiments were carried out to assess the impact of SB disease on milling qualities of lentil. In 2014, milling qualities of red lentils were compared between seed obtained from an uninfected site and those produced at a naturally SB‐infected site. In 2016 and 2017, controlled field experiments were conducted by artificially inoculating the plots with SB conidia at the early flowering stage. Seed yield in the infected plots was reduced by 52, 22, and 30% compared with control plots in 2014, 2016, and 2017, respectively. The percentages of stained and deformed seeds were increased in infected plots in 2016 and 2017. Seeds infected with SB have reduced milling qualities. Dehulling efficiency was reduced by 25.3, 23.0, and 15.9%, and milling recovery was reduced by 23.7, 25.4, and 15.1% compared with the uninfected control plots, respectively, in 2014, 2016, and 2017. Stemphylium blight had minimal impact on football lentil recovery. These results suggest that SB is potentially the leading cause of the reported poor milling quality of Canadian red lentils that reduces the economic value in years when the growing season is favorable for development of SB. These results have major implications for agronomy, pathology, and breeding strategies of the lentil crop in temperate production regions.

Heat and Drought Stress Impact on Phenology, Grain Yield, and Nutritional Quality of Lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus).

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus) is a protein-rich cool-season food legume with an excellent source of protein, prebiotic carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins. With climate change, heat, and drought stresses have become more frequent and intense in lentil growing areas with a strong influence on phenology, grain yield, and nutritional quality. This study aimed to assess the impact of heat and drought stresses on phenology, grain yield, and nutritional quality of lentil. For this purpose, 100 lentil genotypes from the global collection were evaluated under normal, heat, and combined heat-drought conditions. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences (p < 0.001) among lentil genotypes for phenological traits, yield components, and grain quality traits. Under no stress conditions, mineral concentrations among lentil genotypes varied from 48 to 109 mg kg−1 for iron (Fe) and from 31 to 65 mg kg−1 for zinc (Zn), while crude protein content ranged from 22.5 to 32.0%. Iron, zinc, and crude protein content were significantly reduced under stress conditions, and the effect of combined heat-drought stress was more severe than heat stress alone. A significant positive correlation was observed between iron and zinc concentrations under both no stress and stress conditions. Based on grain yield, crude protein, and iron and zinc concentrations, lentil genotypes were grouped into three clusters following the hierarchical cluster analysis. Promising lentil genotypes with high micronutrient contents, crude protein, and grain yield with the least effect of heat and drought stress were identified as the potential donors for biofortification in the lentil breeding program.

A feature collection of lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) by nutritious value of seeds

The study purpose was to summarize and analyze multi-year data on the nutritional quality of lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) accessions from the basic collection of the National Center for Plant Genetic Resources of Ukraine (NCPGRU).Materials and methods. In 1992–2018, 555 accessions of the NCPGRU’s basic collection of lentils were studied. Lens culinaris Medik. accessions were represented by two subspecies: subsp. microsperma and subsp. macrosperma.The collection accessions of lentils were investigated and morphologically described; they were grouped by economic and biological features according to the Classifier of the genus Lens L.The protein content in seeds was determined by the Kjeldahl digestion in the Laboratory of Genetics, Biotechnology and Quality of the Plant Production Institute nd. a. VYa Yuriev NAAS.Results and discussion. The nutritional parameters of lentil seeds were evaluated in the full ripeness phase: protein content, cooking time, palatability, colors of cotyledons and seed coat, resistance to infuscation, and seed size.As to the protein content in seeds, the collection includes the following accessions: with a very high protein content (&gt;30%) – one reference accession UD0600398 (Ukraine) with the protein content of 30.34%; with high protein content (29-30%) – 26 accessions; with medium protein content (26–28%) – 55 accessions; with low protein content (20–25%) – 79 accessions. As to the cooking boiling rate, the collection includes 154 accessions: with a very good rate (&lt; 40 minutes) – 45 accessions; with a good rate (40–60 minutes) – 89 accessions; with a medium rate (61–80 minutes) – 20 accessions. Reference accessions for various levels of lentil palatability were distinguished and included in the collection: very low palatability (3 points) – LUG 330/04 (Ukraine); low palatability (5 points) – 1743 T 19 (Canada); high palatability (7 points) – Miledi, (Russia).The seed appearance is an important aspect of the market value of food lentils: the seed coat color, cotyledon color, resistance to infuscation. The accessions were grouped by cotyledon color as follows: yellow – 87 accessions; hot-yellow – 67 accessions; green – 6 accessions. In accordance with the Classifier of the genus Lens, there are currently eight types of the seed coat pigmentation; their references are listed below: white – LUG 45/09 (Ukraine); pink – LUG 116/09 (Ukraine); green – Zelenyy Chervonets (Ukraine); yellow-green – Krasnohradska 250 (Ukraine); gray – 1743 T 19 (Canada); gray-red – Elista (Slovakia); brown – UD0600444 (Ethiopia); and black – Beluga (Israel).Given the ability of the seed coat to infuscate, the reference accessions for this trait were chosen: infuscating – Krasnohradska 250 (Ukraine); non-infuscating – LUG 45/09 (Ukraine).

Effects of potassium application on yield attributes, yield and grain quality of lentil in terrace soil of Joydebpur

An experiment was conducted in the research field of Pulses Research Sub-Station, BARI, Gazipur during two consecutive years of 2015-16 and 2016-17 to determine the suitable dose of potassium for achieving higher yield attributes, nodulation, nutrient concentration and yield maximization of lentil. There were 5 treatments viz. T1 = Control, T2 = 30 kg K ha-1, T3= 40 kg K ha-1, T4= 50 kg K ha-1 and T5= 60 kg K ha-1 along with the blanket dose of fertilizers of N, P, S, Zn and B @ 15, 20, 10, 2 and 1.5 kg ha-1, respectively for all treatments. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Results revealed that the highest seed yield (1092 kg ha-1) of lentil (mean of two years) was found in T4 followed by T5 treatment and the lowest (736 kg ha-1) was noted in K control (T1) treatment. The highest % yield increase over control (48.3%) was recorded from T4 treatment. The maximum nodulation was found in T5 followed by T4 treatment. The highest protein (26.9%), N, P, K, S, Zn and B concentrations of lentil seed were recorded in T4 treatment. Therefore, the results suggest that the appliction of 50 kg K ha-1 along with N15P20S10Zn2B1.5 kg ha-1 are optimum for achieving higher yield potential of lentil in terrace soils of Bangladesh.&#x0D; Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 44(4): 599-607, December 2019

Nutritional and pro-health quality of lentil and adzuki bean sprouts enriched with probiotic yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii

The study evaluated lentil and adzuki bean sprouts as carriers for S. cerevisiae var. boulardii.The highest count of yeast was found in the adzuki bean and lentil sprouts obtained from seeds soaked in inoculum and cultivated at 30 °C–1.03 × 107 CFU/g and 2.5 × 107 CFU/g, respectively. Probiotic yeast effectively survived during digestion in vitro. There was no statistically significant effect of the probiotic on mesophilic bacterial counts; however, the sprouts enriched with S. boulardii were characterized by lower mold counts (by about 99% in the lentil and adzuki bean preparations) and coliform counts (by about 92% and 71% in the lentil and adzuki bean, respectively). In the adzuki bean the highest antiradical properties were determined for the extracts obtained after gastro-intestinal digestion; however, except a potentially bioaccessible fraction, there were no significant differences between the probiotic-rich and control sprouts. Co–culture of adzuki bean sprouts and S. cerevisiae var. boulardii significantly decreased protein content in the fresh (45%) and stored sprouts (54%). Starch content and its digestibility, regardless the type of sprouts, were higher in the control sprouts.Legumes sprouts enriched with S. cerevisiae var. boulardii are a new functional food product characterized by safety and high nutritional and pro-health properties.

Cooking Quality of Lentils Produced under Mediterranean Conditions

Cooking quality (CQ) is the main quality criterion in lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) and is affected by several factors. Phosphorus fertilization is a common agricultural practice in alkaline P‐poor soils, but studies examining its impact on CQ of lentils are lacking. Four lentil cultivars (three green and one red‐seeded) were tested over two growing seasons, under rainfed Mediterranean conditions, with P as the only nutrient input. The CQ of seeds was estimated using a texture analyzer, and the puncture energy (PE, inversely related to CQ) was calculated. A suite of seed traits (percentage of seed coat weight, 1000‐seed weight, seed softness and protein concentration of hulled and dehulled seeds, and seed coat anatomy) were measured. Moreover, P, K, Na, Ca, and Mg (their sums and ratios) in seeds (hulled and dehulled) were measured to assess their role in CQ. Phosphorus had no significant effect on CQ, but its impact was evident on the chemical composition of the seed coat. Seed coat anatomy was affected only by cultivars. Significant correlations between PE and seed traits for the growth season × cultivar interaction were obtained only for the green‐seeded lentils. In contrast with previous findings, P concentration in hulled seeds was negatively associated with CQ in green lentils; the opposite was evident for Ca. On the other hand, the protein concentration of dehulled seeds was negatively correlated with PE (positively with CQ), indicating that it was the cotyledonary factor influencing CQ by contributing to water absorption.

Effect of phosphorus, sulphur and biofertilizers on growth, yield and quality of lentil (Lens culinaris L.)

A field experiment was conducted during rabi seasons of 2015–16 and 2016–17 to study the effect of P, S and biofertilizers on growth, yield and quality of lentil cv. PL-5. Plant height, branches/plant, pods/plant, grains/pod, 1000-grain weight, seed weight/plant and grain yield were maximum at 60 kg P2O5/ha, 30 kg S/ha and seed inoculation with Rhizobium+PSB biofertilizers. Similar was the case with grain protein, protein yield and net returns. The additional net returns due to P60, S30 and Rhizobium+PSB were Rs. 8689, 2643 and 3237/ha, respectively, over their respective controls. The combined influence of these inputs augmented the yield and net returns of lentil over their separate effects.

Influence of Irrigation and Mulching on Yield Attributes, Yield and Quality of Lentil (Lens esculentum L.) Grown as Intercrop under Limited Water Conditions

Influence of Irrigation and Mulching on Yield Attributes, Yield and Quality of Lentil (Lens esculentum L.) Grown as Intercrop under Limited Water Conditions

Effect of cooking and germination on antioxidant activity, total polyphenols and flavonoids, fiber content, and digestibility of lentils (Lens culinaris L.)

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of cooking and germination on antioxidant activity, total polyphenols and flavonoids, fiber content, and digestibility of lentils (Lens culinaris L.). Seven commercialized samples of lentils (brown, red, dark green, French green, Beluga, dehulled and split red, and dehulled yellow) obtained from the Czech market were analyzed. Lentils were assessed for basic chemical analyses (dry matter and ash content), total phenolic and flavonoid contents (Folin-Ciocalteu and AlCl3·6H2O spectrophotometric methods, respectively), antioxidant analysis (DPPH assay), crude and neutral-detergent fiber contents and in vitro digestibility. Germination caused an increase in total phenolic and flavonoid contents, antioxidant activity, and digestibility and, contrariwise, a decrease in both crude and neutral-detergent fiber contents. Cooking resulted in the rising of digestibility and the reduction of total phenolic and flavonoid contents, antioxidant activity, and both crude and neutral-detergent fiber contents. Practical applications Lentils, among other legumes, exert valuable nutritional composition (including high amounts of protein, fiber, and bioactive compounds with antioxidant activity, such as polyphenols). However, lower digestibility together with some antinutritional factors results in very low consumption of lentils in western diet. Lentils need to be processed prior to consumption. The most widely used processing methods represent thermal processing (cooking) and germination. These processing techniques can influence nutritional quality of lentils since antinutritional factors are reduced. It is crucial to monitor the changes occurring during the culinary processes and to ensure that these processes implicate positive affection of nutritive value of lentils. According to our results, both processing techniques resulted in enhanced digestibility of lentils. Furthermore, germination proved to be more efficient in the antioxidant activity improvement caused mainly by the increased amounts of polyphenols and flavonoids.

Effect of fungicides on seed quality of lentil (Lens culinaris L.) during storage

Laboratory tests were carried out to study the effect of different fungicides i.e. Bavistin DF, Vitavax and Genuine 50WP on the seed quality of lentil during storage condition. After processing and drying, seeds were preserved separately with three fungicides at the rate of 2.5g kg-1 of seeds and stored in earthen pots till next planting time. The seed quality i.e. moisture content (%), germination rate (%), dry weight (g) of seedlings and vigour index were measured at the end of storage period. The average germination percentage of the initial seed lot was 90% and moisture content was 9%. Among the three fungicides, Bavistin DF showed higher values for germination percentage (91.3% in 2004 and 92.7% in 2005), dry weight (0.70 g in 2004 and 0.67 g in 2005) and vigour (63.8 in 2004 and 62.1 in 2005).Jahangirnagar University J. Biol. Sci. 5(2): 51-56, 2016 (December)