Application and Opportunities of Pulses in Food System: A Review

Abstract

Pulses are highly nutritious seeds of pod-bearing leguminous plants, specifically dry peas, lentils, and chickpeas. US farmers harvest about 2.6 million pounds of pulses every year but 75% of this is being exported internationally because of its increased consumption in the developing countries. In the current scenario, increasing costs of production, bad economy, and fluctuating food commodity prices have made a strong case for US producers to seek opportunities to increase domestic consumption of pulses through value-added products. Pulses are the richest sources of plant proteins and provide approximately 10% of the total dietary requirements of the proteins world over. Pulses are also high in dietary fibers and complex carbohydrates leading to low GI (glycemic index) foods. Pulses help to lower cholesterol and triglycerides as leguminous fibers are hypoglycosuria because of consisting more amylose than amylopectin. Pulses provide tremendous opportunities to be utilized in the processed foods such as bakery products, bread, pasta, snack foods, soups, cereal bar filing, tortillas, meat, etc. These show excellent opportunities in frozen dough foods either as added flour or as fillings. Pulses in view of their nutrient profile, seem to be ideal for inclusion in designing snack foods, baby, and sports foods.

Physical characteristics, proximate composition and anti-nutritional factors in grains of lablab bean (<i>Lablab purpureus</i>) genotypes from Kenya

“…This applies to many communities in developing countries who cannot easily afford animal sources of dietary protein. The relatively high carbohydrates content and energy values of the lablab seeds observed in this study are similar to those observed in other studies (Asif et al, 2013;Nakitto et al, 2015;Nazni & Devi, 2016). They are also within the range of the other most commonly consumed legume grains (Sánchez-Chino et al, 2015).…”

Análisis nutricional en atletas de fondo y medio fondo durante una temporada deportiva

“…Se aconseja que los carbohidratos ingeridos sean complejos, porque ayudan a mantener de forma más constante los niveles de glucosa sanguínea (9).…”

Perennial Grain Legume Domestication Phase I: Criteria for Candidate Species Selection

“…Because of their nutrient profile (high protein, oil and fiber content), seeds of grain legumes present tremendous opportunity to be used in a variety of processed human food products or as livestock or aquaculture feed [7,90]. If the domesticate has a similar nutritional profile and the functional attributes of an existing annual grain legume, immediate market opportunities could be available for its commercialization as a substitute without an extensive marketing strategy.…”

“…A major global source of plant-based proteins, they provide ten percent of the dietary requirements of proteins worldwide [90]. As such, grain legumes are significant components in the diets of people living within subsistence farming communities, in parts of the world where animal proteins are scarce or expensive and of those who choose to be vegetarians [91].…”