Pigeonpea as an important food source

Abstract

Pigeonpea is an important source of proteins, carbohydrates, B-group vitamins, and certain minerals. India contributes over 90% of the pigeonpea production in the world where it is mostly consumed as dehusked splits or dhal. In African countries and Latin America, it is mainly consumed as canned peas. In this review, world production and distribution, genetic background, and biochemical and nutritional properties, storage and processing of pigeonpea are discussed. Future research needs to improve the utilization of pigeonpea as human food are also addressed.

Correlation and Path Analysis Studies in Advance Lines of Pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millspaugh] under Different Environments

“…It has been recognized as an important source of dietary protein in the developing countries like India where majority of the population cannot afford to eat non veg foods frequently to fulfil their daily dietary protein requirement. Protein content in commonly grown pigeonpea cultivars ranges between 17.9 to 24.3 g per 100 g for whole grain samples, and between 21.1 to 28.1 g per 100 g in the dal (Salunkhe et al, 1986). Globally, it is cultivated on about 6.23 million hectare area with an annual production of 4.74 million tons with the productivity of 762.4 kg/ha (FAOSTAT, 2015).…”

Chemistry of pulses

“…Pigeon pea The protein content of the pigeon pea (Table 2.2) varies from 15.5 to 28.8% (Vilela and El-Dash, 1985;Salunkhe et al, 1986;Oshodi and Ekperigin, 1989) and depends on genetic and environmental factors (Salunkhe et al, 1986). Similar to other legumes, pigeon pea protein is deficient in sulfur-containing amino acids (methionine and cystine) and contains a surplus of lysine (limiting amino acid in cereals).…”

Heterologous Expression of Legumin Gene in E. coli Isolated from cDNA Clones of Immature Seeds of Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.)

“…Protein quality is of prime importance in pigeonpea products used for human food [34]. The total seed protein content in the two varieties of pigeonpea UPAS-120 and H82-1 were analyzed by using the biuret method [22] and was found to be 29.27% (on dry-weight basis [d.b.])…”