Yellow Lentil Research Articles

Screening of the Nutritional Properties, Bioactive Components, and Antioxidant Properties in Legumes

This study provides an assessment of nutrients (protein, amino acid profiles, fiber, starch), phenolic content TPC, flavonoid content TFC, and antioxidant capacity through different in vitro methods in 12 legume species (red, green, yellow, brown, and black lentils; mung, pinto, black, and kidney beans; chickpea, soy, and lupin) and hemp. Legumes with a protein content above 30% were black lentil, lupin, and soy. Chickpea, soy, black bean, kidney bean, and mung bean did not have any limiting amino acids. All samples had moderate overall protein quality, except green and brown lentils. Black bean was less digestible (68.1%), while soy, hemp, and red lentil had higher protein digestibility (79.3–84.7%). Pinto bean had the highest TPC (425.19 mg GAE/100 g), comparable with hemp, but the lowest TFC (0.24 mg QE/100 g). Yellow and red lentils showed the lowest TPC (69–85.89 mg GAE/100 g). Mung bean presented the highest concentration of flavonoids (45.47 mg QE/100 g), followed by black lentil (28.57 mg QE/100 g). There were distinct variations in the antioxidant capacity across different legume samples and assays. Pinto bean, hemp, and green lentil had the highest relative antioxidant capacity index, while yellow lentil, red lentil, and chickpea presented the lowest. Dark-colored legume samples showed a higher TPC and a lower antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC and PCL assays), while yellow legumes had less antioxidant capacity (DPPH assay). A high correlation coefficient was observed between TPC and DPPH (r = 0.8133), TPC and FRAP (r = 0.8528), TPC and CUPRAC (r = 0.9425), and TPC and ACL (r = 0.8261) methods. The results highlight large variations in the legume properties and support the exploitation of the nutritional properties of legumes as raw materials for the development of products designed to fulfil modern consumer demands.

Optimization of the extrusion parameters for the production of lentil-quinoa extrudates enriched with pumpkin.

This study aimed to develop a protein-fiber-rich extruded product based on yellow lentil, quinoa, and pumpkin flours. The final product quality is affected by formulation and extrusion parameters. Therefore, the effect of the pumpkin-flour ratio (A: 25-75%) and feed moisture content (C: 14-22%) besides barrel screw speed (B: 120-180 rpm) on the physical attributes of extrudates was investigated. Box-Behnken experimental design and stepwise-response surface method were used to analyze the effects of various process variables and ingredients on extrudates. The pumpkin-flour ratio had a significant positive correlation with bulk density (BD), water solubility index (WSI), and oil absorption index. Whereas the correlation between pumpkin-flour ratio with hardness, porosity, expansion ratio (ER), and water absorption index (WAI) was negative (P < 0.05). The feed moisture content positively affected the water activity (aw) and WAI and negatively affected the harness of samples (P < 0.05). The screw speed had a positive effect on ER, porosity, and WSI, whereas it negatively influenced the hardness, BD, and aw. By increasing the pumpkin-flour ratio, air cell size and wall thickness of samples had been decreased. The results showed that 44.2% pumpkin flour, 22% feed moisture, and 172.1 rpm screw speed gave an optimized product. There was no significant difference between predicted and experimental values (except for ER). The optimized snack was a good source of fiber (around 15%), protein (17.3%), and antioxidants (TPC = 15.28 mg GAE.g-1 and antiradical scavenging activity (DPPH) = 33.66%). The caloric value of the optimized snack was 362.6 cal.100g-1. The current formulation can be considered as the base of snack food or plant-based meat alternatives.

Climate change and cropping pattern in Keonjhar District of Odisha, India

Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges facing humanity and the natural environment in the 21st century. The agriculture sector is particularly vulnerable to climate change, as it depends on the availability and quality of natural resources, such as land, water, and soil. Climate change can affect the cropping pattern in various ways, such as altering the length and timing of the growing season, changing the water availability and quality, increasing the frequency and intensity of pests and diseases, and creating new opportunities and challenges for crop diversification. The agriculture sector in the Keonjhar district of India has been experiencing changes in its cropping pattern. This study investigates the key drivers for changing cropping patterns in the district. Secondary data was collected from 2011 to 2019 on the areas under crops and production of agricultural and horticultural crops grown in Keonjhar. For primary data, the interview method has been adopted with a sample of 327 marginal and small farmers from two villages in the district. The study revealed positive changes in the area allocated for paddy and mango, but negative changes in the area allocated for maize, mung (Yellow Lentil), biri (White Lentil). Climate change, market status, land ownership, education, the decline in yield, and the production of crops were the main drivers of the changes in crop patterns during the past few decades. This research proposes agricultural intensification and policy direction to promote the cultivation of paddy, maize, and mango trees to sustain livelihoods in the Keonjhar district.

Effect of high pressure processing on selected physicochemical and functional properties of yellow lentil protein concentrate

High pressure processing has the potential to impart changes in the structure and functionalities of plant-based proteins. Improvement of plant protein functionality can enable the replacement of synthetic emulsifiers with natural, plant-based ones. In this study, yellow lentil protein concentrate (YLPC) dispersions (10% w/v) were subjected to HPP to understand the effect of pressure (MPa), time (min), and pH of protein dispersion (process pH) on the physicochemical (surface hydrophobicity and zeta potential) and functional properties (solubility, emulsification capacity, fat binding capacity, foaming capacity) in two pH systems. Increasing pressure increased the surface hydrophobicity of processed samples. Process pressure, time, and pH did not significantly affect surface zeta potential. Lower pressures and 10 min treatment times at neutral process pH resulted in the most effective improvements in protein functionality. Protein solubility in the pH 7 system increased from 40 %±3 % for unprocessed control to 50 %±5 % for samples processed at 150 MPa. The emulsion droplet size and stability increased for samples processed at pH 7 when pressure was increased from 350 to 550 MPa in both pH systems. Foamability was not significantly affected by high pressure in both pH systems. Overall, protein functionality can be improved by optimizing HPP process parameters and considering the properties of the food system.

The Effect of Some Animal and Plant Proteins on uric acid index in Rats with Acute Renal Failure

Kidney diseases are a public health problem all over the world. From recent studies it has been found that a low-protein diet as part of diet therapy has beneficial effects that slow the progression of chronic kidney disease. So, this study was carried out to investigate the uric acid index of some animal protein (Beef, eggs, kidney) and plant protein (mushroom, yellow lentils, lupine) in rats with induced-acute renal failure (ARF). Forty rats were divided into 8 groups (n=5) in each group. The first group of rats was fed on basal diet. The other rats were injected with one dose of 50% glycerol (10 ml/kg B.Wt.) in their hind limbs to induce ARF, these rats were divided into 7 subgroups, as follows: Subgroup (1): Rats with ARF were fed on basal diet supplemented with 150 gm/kg casein as positive control group (+Ve). From subgroups (2 : 7) rats were fed on the basal diet supplemented with 150 gm/kg from dried beef, eggs, kidney, mushroom, yellow lentils, lupine, respectively for 4 weeks. The treated groups with either animal or plant proteins had a significant decrease (P&lt;0.05) in the level of kidney functions as well as lowering the mean values of phosphorous, sodium and potassium. The level of serum albumin and total protein were significantly (P&lt;0.05) increased as compared to the +ve control group. It could be concluded that a diet containing animal protein (beef, eggs, kidney) or plant protein (mushroom, yellow lentils, lupine) may be used as a part of diet therapy to slow the progression of kidney disease and improve the kidney functions.

Antinutrient removal in yellow lentils by malting.

To improve the current low per capita consumption of lentils, the present study first aimed to minimize the anti-nutrient content of two yellow Moroccan and Italian lentil seeds by resorting to the malting process and then testing the resulting decorticated flours as ingredients in the formulation of gluten-free fresh egg pastas. The most proper operating conditions for the three malting process steps were identified in a bench-top plant. The first (water steeping) and second (germination) steps were studied at 18, 25 or 32 °C. After 2 or 3 h of steeping at 25 °C and almost 24 h of germination, 95-98.8% of the lentil seeds sprouted. By prolonging the germination process to 72 h, the raffinose or phytic acid content was reduced by about 80% or 95% or 27% or 37%, respectively. The third step (kilning) was carried out under fluent dry air at 50 °C for 24 h and at 75 °C for 3 h. The cotyledons of the resulting yellow lentil malts were cyclonically recovered, milled and chemico-physically characterized. Both flours were used to prepare fresh egg-pastas essentially devoid of oligosaccharides, and low in phytate (4.6-6.0 mg g-1 ) and in vitro glycemic index (38-41%). However, the cooking quality of the fresh egg pasta made of malted Moroccan lentil flour was higher with respect to its crude protein content and lower with respect to its water solubility index. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Development of gluten free biscuit with a combination of sweet potato, yellow lentil and safflower flours

Development of gluten free biscuit with a combination of sweet potato, yellow lentil and safflower flours

D-OPTIMAL MIXTURE DESIGN APPROACH IN THE PRODUCTION OF COOKIES ENRICHED WITH DIETARY FIBER SOURCES SUCH AS LENTIL FLOUR, BANANA FRUIT AND BANANA PEEL POWDER

This study aimed to develop fiber-enriched cookies by partially replacing wheat flour (WF) with alternative fiber sources including yellow lentil flour (YLF), green lentil flour (GLF), banana powder (BP), and banana peel powder (BPP). The ratios of YLF, GLF, and WF were identified as 24.5, 10.7, and 64.8 % (flour basis), respectively, considering the mixture experimental design for an optimal breaking strength of cookies. Four types of cookies were studied: (i) wheat-based cookies (WC), (ii) lentil flour, BP and BPP-incorporated cookies (LBC), (iii) BP and BPP-incorporated cookies (BC), (iv) lentil flour-incorporated cookie (LC). LC showed a higher spread ratio and lightness than LBC and BC. Although alternative ingredients enhanced dietary fiber content compared to wheat-only cookies, the liking degree of sensory attributes was lower in LBC and BC. Overall, LC was superior to LBC and BC samples, indicating possible use of lentil flours for partial replacement of wheat flour for desired physical, chemical, and sensory attributes.

UTILIZATION OF DIFFERENT LEGUME AND CEREAL FLOURS IN THE GLUTEN- FREE TARHANA PRODUCTION

This study aimed to investigate the effect of different legume and cereal flours on the proximate composition, and functional, powder, and sensory properties of the gluten-free tarhana. For this purpose, different legumes and cereal flours such as commercial gluten-free flour, rice flour, chickpea flour, bean flour, and yellow lentil flour were used. The moisture contents of tarhana samples were found to be lower than 10%. Based on the obtained results, it can be stated that the protein and cellulose contents of gluten-free tarhana samples can be significantly increased using rice (75.94% for protein and 15.29% for cellulose), chickpea (260.00% for protein and 115.88% for cellulose), bean (283.91% for protein and 385.88% for cellulose), and yellow lentil (277.19% for protein and 32.35% for cellulose) flours instead of commercial gluten-free flour (p&lt;0.05). The highest water holding capacity (215.50%) and lowest oil holding (58.17%) capacity values were observed for bean flour and bean flour tarhana. While chickpea flour tarhana has superior properties in wettability time (33.80s), bean flour tarhana has superior properties in bulk density (961.53 kg/m3), flowability (very good level), and cohesiveness (low level) values compared to the other tarhana samples. The sensory evaluation showed that all tarhana samples had greater acceptance by the panelists.

Distribution and damage potential of pulse beetles, Callosobruchus spp. (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) in Sindh, Pakistan

Callosobruchus spp. are global serious pests of pulses. Therefore, two studies were carried out to determine their distribution in three ecological zones of the Sindh, Pakistan along with their damage potential to major pulses. Survey was conducted from Zone-one (Ghotki, Sukkur and Larkana districts), Zone-two (Hyderabad, Mirpur Khas and Shaheed Benazirabad districts) and Zone-three (Karachi district) during March – April 2020. Grain samples of main pulses i.e., chickpea (channa), field pea (matar), cowpea (lobia), green lentil (moong) and daal channa were collected from three locations of each district and brought to Stored Grain Research Laboratory, Department of Entomology, Faculty of Crop Protection, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam for further examination. Three pulse beetle species i.e., C. maculatus, C. chinensis and C. analis were identified from the collected pulse samples as the highest populations of adults, eggs, grubs and pupae was recorded from moong, followed by lobia and gram. No population of pulse beetle was recorded from daal channa and matar. Callosobruchus maculatus was the most dominant species at all sampling as higher beetle populations were recorded from Mirpur Khas and Sukkur districts. Therefore, both these strains were further evaluated for their feeding preference and weight loss assessment on various pulses i.e., gram (chickpea), lobia (cowpea), moong (green gram) and daal channa (yellow lentil) in no-choice under laboratory conditions. C. maculatus showed a significant feeding preference among pulses with lobia and gram being the most preferred, whereas daal channa was the least preferred, hence suffered highest and lowest weight loss, respectively. Therefore, proper storage and quarantine measures are suggested to be taken in the transportation and storage of pulses to restrict the spread and damage of pulse beetles.

Effect of raw and heat‐treated yellow lentil flour on starch‐based gluten‐free noodle quality

In this study, raw yellow lentil flour (YL) and heat-treated yellow lentil flour (HYL) were used at different levels (0–80%, w/w) to produce lentil flour-enriched noodles. Physicochemical, thermal, and functional properties of the YL and HYL were compared for evaluating the effects of heat treatment. Besides, noodle quality, nutrient composition, textural, sensory, and microstructural analyses were performed. The protein content of YL and HYL was found in the same group (p > .05), although a significant reduction in the water-soluble proteins was observed (p < .05). Similarly, ash, water holding capacity, swelling power, and solubility of HYL were lower than YL. The denaturation peak temperature of YL was found as 116.8°C and shifted to 122.7°C for HYL. Nutritional composition of noodles was improved by increasing the level of YL and HYL. Although an increase was observed in phytic acid by YL/HYL addition, it decreased after cooking of noodles. Overall, all noodles were evaluated as acceptable. Novelty impact statement Gluten-free food formulations are often based on starch-based ingredients; therefore, have low nutritional quality, rich in carbohydrate and fat, low in dietary fiber. Water-soluble protein amount of raw and heat-treated yellow lentil flour-based noodles was significantly higher (nearly 4× and 2×, respectively) than control (potato starch-rice flour-based) noodle. Hardness values were found between 7.1 and 14.0 N and did not show any correlation with the amount of yellow lentil flour. HYL20 noodle had the highest flavor and overall liking score, but for all tested sensory parameters the noodles had scored above 5 point, so they were regarded as acceptable.

Partial replacement of starch‐based flours with quinoa or yellow lentil flour in the production of gluten‐free noodles

The aims of this study are to produce gluten-free noodles by partial replacement of starches with quinoa (QF) and yellow lentil flour (YLF) for improving the nutritional composition with plant-based gluten-free protein sources and evaluate the effects of enrichment levels (0-12.5-25-50%) on the quality and textural properties of noodles. The protein content of control noodles (C) was significantly increased due to QF and YLF replacement, however, the protein content of 50% YLF was found more than double of the control sample (p < .05). The peak viscosity of corn starch was the highest among flour samples (4.792 Pa s), whereas the lowest was obtained for QF (0.882 Pa s). Cooking loss of gluten-free noodles was increased by QF or YLF increased (p < .05), however, all noodles fell within acceptable limits. The hardness of gluten-free noodles was increased by QF and YLF amounts increased and reached the highest value of 50% YLF-including noodles. Novelty impact statement Sustainable food product development can be achieved by utilization of legumes due to their low carbon foodprint. They are good candidates for nutritional improvement as increasing quinoa and yellow lentil flour has significantly increased the protein content of noodles. Hardness of noodles was increased and reached a maximum of 50% YLF-added sample. Cooking loss of all noodles was found acceptable because they were lower than the given limits of durum-wheat pasta.

Dry fractionation as a promising technology to reuse the physically defected legume‐based gluten‐free pasta

SummaryDry fractionation was applied to the legume‐based pasta (yellow lentils:whole rice 90:10 w:w) discarded for physical defects. After the air classification, the fine fraction showed a 33% increment of the protein content compared to the raw material, with a 21% yield. The scanning electron micrographs revealed the presence of protein–starch complexes and broken starch granules which led to a low protein separation efficiency. The fine fraction showed interesting nutritional features due to the high concentration of the essential micronutrients Zn (43.3 mg kg−1) and Fe (72.6 mg kg−1). However, also the alpha‐galactosides were enriched into the same fraction. The two fractions, fine and coarse, were both characterised by elevated water absorption capacity, with significantly higher values in the fine one. Finally, the gelling capacity varied among the fractions, being influenced by the protein content. Overall, these ingredients could be used to fortify the protein and the essential mineral contents of bakery products, sauces, and creams.

Technological and nutritional properties of instant noodles enriched with chickpea or lentil flour

ObjectiveTo increase the nutritional value of instant noodles, enriched wheat flour with selected legume flours, chickpea or yellow lentil, at substitution ratios of 15%, 20%, and 25%. MethodsThe technological and nutritional properties of the obtained instant noodles were studied in terms of proximate analysis, energy, cooking quality, amino acids content, rheological properties, and sensory evaluation. ResultsEnrichment of durum wheat flour with lentil or chickpea flour improved the resulting instant noodles in terms of protein, crude fat, ash, and crude fiber contents, and contributed in reducing carbohydrates and energy obtained. Lysin, tryptophan, and threonine contents in durum wheat noodles were found to be 2.31, 1.09, and 3.15 g/100 g protein, respectively, which increased to 3.32, 1.34, and 3.45 g/100 g protein, respectively, with 25% replacement of chickpea flour. Greater increases were obtained with 25% replacement with lentil flour as the concentration of lysin, tryptophan, and threonine reached 3.34, 1.27, and 3.61 g/100 g protein, respectively. As the replacement ratio increased, the total essential amino acids increased from 36.96 % to 39.01% with 25% replacement of chickpea flour and 38.59 % with 25% replacement of lentil flour. Water absorption increased significantly from 59.71% to 69.01% with increasing proportion of chickpea or lentil flours in dough mixtures. The elevation in arrival time, dough development time, and stability time among the flour blends with 15% to 25% chickpea or lentil flours ranged from 1.7 to 2.1 min, 4.8 to 5.9 min, and 2.8 to 4.8 min, respectively. Sensory evaluation showed that the panelists significantly (p < 0.05) preferred replacing wheat flour with chickpea flour than lentil flour. ConclusionPresent study concluded that durum wheat flour can be replaced with 25% chickpea flour or 20% lentil flour to improve the nutritional value without negatively affecting rheological properties, cooking characteristics, or sensory qualities.

Mineral content, fatty acid composition, and volatile compounds of gluten-free tarhana formulated with different cereal and pulse flours.

This research was intended to determine the effect of different cereal and pulse flours and commercial gluten-free flour on the mineral content, fatty acid composition, and volatile compounds of the gluten-free tarhana (cereal-based fermented dry soup). In order to produce the gluten-free tarhana, white bean (BF), chickpea (CF), commercial gluten-free (GWF), yellow lentil (LF), and rice (RF) flours were used. The Mg, K, Al, and Mn contents of tarhanas obtained using different pulse and cereal flours were found to be quite high compared to tarhanas produced with commercial GWF. The utilization of different cereal and pulse flours in the tarhana formulation resulted in an increase in the percentage (30.37-51.47%) of the total polyunsaturated fatty acid (TPUFA). The highest (452.4µg/g) and the lowest (241.17µg/g) total concentration of all compounds were detected in BF and GWF, respectively. The highest number (21) of compounds belonged to terpenes and terpenoids, followed by acids, hydrocarbons, alcohols, aldehydes, esters, ketones, and alkanes. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study shows that cereal and pulse flours can be used to produce acceptable tarhana with improved nutritional quality in terms of mineral and fatty acid contents. The results of the current study may be useful and applicable to food manufacturers producing gluten-free products for celiac patients.

Pasta from yellow lentils: How process affects starch features and pasta quality

The effects of conventional extrusion (CV) and extrusion-cooking (EC) were investigated on 100% yellow lentils (YL). Both the extrusion processes led to pasta with good cooking quality (cooking loss: 7.0–7.1 g/100 g, firmness: 530–608 N), even in overcooking (cooking loss: 7.7–7.9 g/100 g, firmness: 418–513 N). Contrary to what is known for gluten-free cereals, CV is effective in producing pasta from native YL with no need for a pre-gelatinization step. However, pasta from EC showed a higher compression energy (2898 versus 2448 N*mm). In this sample, starch presented a higher degree of gelatinization (75.5 versus 57.6 g/100 g) and lower enthalpy (0.97 versus 1.07 J/g). At the same time, EC promoted a more compact structure that required higher temperature for melting (66.49 versus 63.16 °C) and showing pasting properties (79.1 versus 74.7 °C). Thus, by selecting suitable extrusion conditions it is possible to improve the cooking behavior of 100% pulse pasta.

Antinutritional factors, mineral composition and functional properties of dry fractionated flours as influenced by the type of pulse

Coarse (CF) and Fine (FF) fractions were obtained by dry fractionation (air classification) of raw micronized flour (RM) of kabuli chickpea, green pea, yellow and red lentil. Pea showed the highest phytate content in RM and CF. Stachyose was the main oligosaccharide in lentils, exceeding 50 mg g−1, whereas raffinose (39.9 mg g−1) was abundant in chickpea. Antinutritional factors were significantly enriched in FF, whereas decreased in CF. Total-reflection X-ray fluorescence identified potassium as the main macronutrient in pulses. Ca was highly variable, ranging from 0.92 to 0.28 g kg−1 in pea and yellow lentil, respectively. A significant shift of minerals was observed in FF, but despite the highest phytate content, phytate:Zn ratio of lentils was lower than RM, indicating that Zn was enriched more than phytates. Yellow lentil and pea FF showed a protein content higher than 55 g 100g−1. Dry fractionation significantly affected the physicochemical properties, indicating different potential use of fractions.

Investigation of some properties of gluten-free tarhanas produced by red, green and yellow lentil whole flour

Gluten-free lentil tarhanas were obtained by replacing red, green and yellow lentil whole flour instead of wheat flour used in traditional tarhana formulation. Some physical, chemical, bioactive, microbiological, reological, morphological and sensory properties of these tarhanas were investigated comparatively. Amount of crude protein (%), crude ash (%), crude fat(%), soluble-insoluble-total dietary fibre (%), some elements, antioxident activity (µmol TE/100 g) and total phenolic content (mg GAE/100g) of the tarhanas which were obtained by using lentil flour were significantly increased compared to the control tarhanas. All varieties of tarhana exhibited pseudoplastic flow behavior. In terms of microbiological evaluation; lentil tarhanas has higher lactic acid bacteria with yeast and mold amount compared to control tarhanas. When lentil tarhanas were compared, the green lentil tarhanas is the richest one according to the values of soluble-insoluble-total dietary fiber (%), crude ash (%),total phenolic content and antioxidant activity. Tarhanas examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the control and red lentil tarhanas with green and yellow lentil tarhanas exhibited similar morphological characteristics. It has been found that the sensory evaluation of tarhanas is not statistically different from each other in terms of general appreciation. As a result of this, it shows that gluten-free tarhanas produced with lentil flour can be consumed instead of control tarhanas.

Sensory Acceptability of Dual-Fortified Milled Red and Yellow Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) Dal in Bangladesh.

This study evaluated the sensory properties of uncooked and cooked milled lentils that were fortified with varying concentrations of Fe and Zn in the form of NaFeEDTA and ZnSO4.H2O, respectively. Our study was carried out among 196 lentil consumers residing in rural Bangladesh who experience with growing, processing, and marketing lentils. A nine-point hedonic scale was used to rate the appearance, odor, taste, texture and overall acceptability of three uncooked and two cooked lentil (dal) samples made from each of the three milled lentil product types (LPTs), red football, red split and yellow split. Preferences for sensory properties were found to be significantly different among all uncooked lentil samples, but not significantly different for cooked samples, with a few exceptions. This means that the fortification process minimally affects dual-fortified lentil sample (fortified with 16 mg of Fe and 8 mg of Zn per 100 g of lentil), which was compared to another cooked sample (unfortified control), in terms of consumers liking for all four attributes (appearance, odor, taste, and texture).

Nutritional and functional effects of the lactic acid bacteria fermentation on gelatinized legume flours

Aiming at meeting recent consumers requirements in terms of high nutritional value and functional foods, the cereal food industry has proposed the use of legumes as wheat substitutes due to the high contents of proteins with high biological value and dietary fibers. Nevertheless, legumes contain several anti-nutritional factors which may limit the bio-availability of several nutrients. In this study, an integrate biotechnological approach, combining a thermal treatment (“gelatinization”) and fermentation with selected lactic acid bacteria, was set-up in order to improve the functional and nutritional quality of red and yellow lentils, white and black beans, chickpeas and peas flours. Gelatinization carried out at pilot-plant level on legume grains before milling, affected the nutritional properties of the flours by the increase of protein digestibility, resistant starch formation, the decrease of trypsin inhibitors, although negatively affecting the antioxidant activity. Fermentation with Lactobacillus plantarum MRS1 and Lactobacillus brevis MRS4 further enhanced the nutritional properties of processed legume flours through the increase of free amino acids concentration and protein digestibility, the degradation of phytic acid, condensed tannins and raffinose, and the decrease of the trypsin inhibitory activity and starch hydrolysis index. Moreover, fermentation also contributed to the increase of the radical scavenging activity of both raw and processed legumes.