Nutritional and sensorial analysis of a lentil flour-based sweet pancake premix

Background: Legume flours have been a target for ingredient innovation in the last decade. Legume grains have high protein and fibre content and are gluten-free, making them suitable for different consumer types, including celiac. Additionally, legume grain cultivation reduces synthetic fertiliser application, providing environmental benefits and improving ecosystem functions.Methods: In this study, a commercial pancake flour mix where part of cereal flour was replaced with lentil flour was developed. The nutritional value was analysed and a quantitative blind affective test was performed to understand the consumer acceptability of the lentil-based pancakes. A questionnaire was developed to survey consumers preferences towards pancake consumption and purchase factors. Results: When compared to the commercial counterpart, the lentil-based pancakes had higher protein and lower carbohydrate and salt contents. Of the 90 non-trained panellists (72 women, 18 men; aged between 18 and 56), only 6% were consumers of pre-made pancake dry mixes. The panel attributed superior ratings in texture, flavour and global appreciation scales to the lentil-based pancakes and 63% of the participants responded they probably/certainly would buy the lentil flour pancakes if commercially available. Conclusion: It is possible to partially replace cereal flour with lentil flour in sweet pancake preparation, delivering a gluten-free product with an improved overall nutritional profile, and appealing to a broad range of consumer needs.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Editorial: the impact of climate change on nutrient composition of staple foods and the role of diversification in increasing food system resilience

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Análise comparativa das respostas à Clorose por Insuficiência de Ferro em soja (Glycine max) e luzerna-cortada (Medicago truncatula)

Legume grains have an important socio-economical role, being highly utilized in human and animal nutrition. Although iron (Fe) is abundant in the earths crust, its limited solubility makes it poorly bioavailable for plants, contributing to iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC). In this work the physiological and molecular mechanisms associated with IDC were studied, namely, the mechanisms involved on Fe deficiency response, as well as a new Fe metabolism related gene in two important legume crops, Glycine max and Medicago truncatula. Fe deficient plants developed: decreased root and shoot length, increased number of secondary roots and lower chlorophyll levels. Fe shoot content decreased six- and 11-fold for G. max and M truncatula in Fe-deficiency. Whilst in G. max roots no significant differences were detected, in M. truncatula roots Fe decreased nine-fold in Fe-deficiency. Genes involved in Fe uptake (FRO2-like and IRT1-like), were over-expressed in roots of Fe-sufficient G. max and in Fe-deficient M. truncatula. VIT1-like, YSL1-like and ferritin presented higher expression levels in Fe-sufficient shoots and roots, whereas NRAMP3-like and GCN2-like showed higher expression values in Fe-deficiency.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Alkali and acid polysaccharides blend nanofibrous membranes prepared by electrospinning

Poster apresentado no "Smart and functional coatings conference", Torino, Italy, 2013Electrospinning allows the production of polymer fibres with diameters in the sub-micron size range, through the application of an external electric field, keeping intact the bulk properties of the polymers. Electrospun membranes possess some unique structural features, such as a high surface to volume ratio and very good mechanical performance, properties that are determinant to their use in several applications such as air and liquid filtration, tissue engineering, optical and chemical sensors [1]. In this work, alkali and acid biopolysaccharides blended with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were electrospinned into a polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) basal microfiltration membrane, with the goal of developing a mid-layer nanofibrous porous support for exploitable thin-film composite (TFC) membranes for water filtration. The alkali and acid biopolysaccharides chosen were, respectively, chitosan (CS), a cationic polyelectrolyte (in this case with deacetylation degree around 85), and cyanobacterial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), an acidic polysaccharide isolated from Cyanothece sp.CCY 0110 [2]. The electrospun blended nanofibrous membranes were fully characterized in order to investigate their morphology, diameter, structure, mechanical and thermal properties. The results showed that these membranes have great potential for filtration purposes [3].This work was funded by FEDER funds through the Operational Competitiveness Programme – COMPETE and by National Funds through FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia under the projects FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-022718 (PEst-C/SAU/LA0002/2011), FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-009389 (PTDC/CTM/100627/2008) and FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-009697 (PTDC/EBB-EBI/099662/2008), and the grants SFRH/BPD/37045/2007 and SFRH/BPD/72400/2010. The authors also thank to the project INVISIBLE NETWORK nº. 13857 * SI I&DT Mobilizador

Widening the perspectives for legume consumption: the case of bioactive non-nutrients

Legume grains have provided essential nutrients in human diets for centuries, being excellent sources of proteins, carbohydrates, fatty acids, and fibers. They also contain several non-nutrients that historically have been connotated as toxic but that in recent years have been shown to have interesting bioactive properties. The discussion on the role of bioactive non-nutrients is becoming more important due to increasing science-based evidence on their potential antioxidant, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, and anticarcinogenic properties. At a time when legume-based products consumption is being strongly promoted by national governments and health authorities, there is a need to clearly define the recommended levels of such non-nutrients in human diets. However, there is insufficient data determining the ideal amount of non-nutrients in legume grains, which will exert the most positive health benefits. This is aligned with insufficient studies that clearly demonstrate if the positive health effects are due to the presence of specific non-nutrients or a result of a dietary balance. In fact, rather than looking directly at the individual food components, most nutritional epidemiology studies relate disease risk with the food and dietary patterns. The purpose of this perspective paper is to explore different types of non-nutrients present in legume grains, discuss the current evidence on their health benefits, and provide awareness for the need for more studies to define a recommended amount of each compound to identify the best approaches, either to enhance or reduce their levels.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Predicting iron deficiency and oxidative stress in glycine max through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in a time-course experiment

Aims: The excessive use of fertilizers is a problem in current agricultural systems, and sustainable farming practices, including precision agriculture, demand the use of new technologies to manage plant stress at an early stage. To sustainably manage iron (Fe) fertilization in agricultural fields, it is urgent to develop early detection methods for Fe deficiency, and linked oxidative stress, in plant leaves. Herein, the potential of using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy for Fe deficiency and oxidative stress detection in soybean plants was evaluated.Methods: After a period of two weeks of hydroponic growth under optimum conditions, soybean plants were grown under Fe-sufficient (Fe+) and Fe-deficient (Fe–) hydroponic conditions for four weeks. Sampling occurred every week, infrared (IR) spectra were acquired and biological parameters (total chlorophyll, anthocyanins and carotenoids concentration, and ABTS and DPPH free radical scavenging ability), mineral concentrations, and the Fe-related genes’ expression - FRO2- and IRT1-like - were evaluated. Results: Two weeks after imposing Fe deficiency, plants displayed decreased antioxidant activity, and increased expression levels of FRO2- and IRT1-like genes. Regarding the PLS models developed to estimate the biological parameters and mineral concentrations, satisfactory calibration models were globally obtained with R2C from 0.93 to 0.99. FTIR spectroscopy was also able to discriminate between Fe + and Fe– plants from an early stage of stress induction with 96.3% of correct assignments. Conclusion: High reproducibility was observed among the different spectra of each sample and FTIR spectroscopy may be an early, non-invasive, cheap, and environmentally friendly technique for IDC management.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mineral profile and resilience to low water provision of white and black chickpea varieties (Cicer arietinum)

Legumes are of great importance for agriculture and the environment due to their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, providing important amounts of minerals, and vitamins, being are an excellent option for a balanced diet (Geraldo et al., 2022). Among the most consumed legumes worldwide, chickpeas (Cicer arietinum) have gained evidence in these past decades, through increased individual production, intercropping with other crops, and formulation of food products, thus improving the resilience of agroecosystems at lower environmental costs (Saget et al., 2020). However, the exploitation of traditional chickpea varieties, such as the black chickpea, has been overlooked, and the recovery of under-exploited traditional varieties could contribute to foster biodiversity, promote environmental sustainability and diversify diets. However, current knowledge on the nutritional profile of commercial and traditional chickpea varieties and their resilience to environmental stresses, such as water scarcity, is very limited, being the focus of this work.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Variation in pea (Pisum Sativum L.) seed quality traits defined by physicochemical functional properties

Pea is one of the most produced and consumed pulse crops around the world. The study of genetic variability within pea germplasm is an important tool to identify outstanding accessions with optimal functional and nutritional qualities. In the present study, a collection of 105 pea accessions was analysed for physicochemical properties, pasting viscosity, and basic composition parameters. While pasting viscosities were negatively correlated to hydration capacity, cooking time, and basic composition, a positive correlation was found between the hydration capacity and the basic composition parameters. Basic composition (protein, fibre, fat, and resistant starch) parameters were further evaluated regarding seed trait morphology, namely, seed shape, colour, and surface. Allelic characterisation at the r and rb genetic loci was performed in a subgroup of 32 accessions (3 phenotyped as smooth and 29 as rough seeded), revealing that none of the initially classified rough-seeded accessions were rb mutants, 19 were r mutants, and 13 were neither r nor rb. Despite their initial phenotypic classification, the 13 accessions genetically classified as smooth behaved differently (p < 0.05) to the 19 r mutants in terms of physicochemical properties, pasting viscosity, and basic composition parameters. Using multivariate analysis of the most discriminatory parameters for the food-related traits studied, the best-performing accessions at functional and nutritional levels were identified for future plant breeding to improve field pea production and consumption.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Differential responses of Kabuli and Desi chickpeas (Cicer arietinum) to low water provision and their mineral profiling

Legume grains are of great importance for agriculture and the environment due to their ability to symbiotically fix atmospheric nitrogen and provide protein, minerals, vitamins, and other bioactive nutrients (Geraldo et al., 2022). Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is one of the most consumed legumes worldwide and it has gained even more importance in recent decades. Production levels have increased, their incorporation as intercrops has been promoted, and they have been used in the formulation of novel food products (Saget et al., 2020). Nonetheless, the exploitation of traditional chickpea varieties, such as the Desi type (black coloured chickpea), has been overlooked, and the recovery of under-exploited traditional varieties could contribute to fostering biodiversity, and promoting environmental sustainability and diversifying diets. However, current knowledge on the nutritional profile of commercial and traditional chickpea varieties and their resilience degree to environmental stresses, such as water scarcity, is limited, thus being the focus of this work.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio