ABSTRACT:

Pulses are a vital source of essential dietary nutrients, contributing significantly to global and local food economies. These nutrient-dense legumes are rich in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, enhancing diet quality while providing key health benefits. However, their inherent phytic acid content acts as an antinutrient, potentially hindering mineral absorption. Various cost-effective domestic processing methods can be employed to degrade phytic acid to improve its nutritional utility. The present study involves four common pulse cultivars: Red Lentils (Lens culinaris), Split Mung pulse (Vigna radiata), Urad pulse (Vigna mungo), and Split Bengal Gram pulse (Cicer arietinum) to investigate the diverse soaking and cooking techniques for their efficacy in reducing phytate content. Results demonstrated that soaking pulses for an hour led to a 40.6% reduction in phytic acid. In comparison, a six-hour soaking yielded a higher degradation of 44.5%, with extended soaking (overnight) showing variable effects due to saturation. Boiling pulses until tender resulted in a 43% reduction in phytates, whereas water absorption boiling led to a lower 35.7% degradation. Pressure cooking methods exhibited variable efficacy, with cooking without bicarbonate soda leading to a greater phytate reduction (above 36.3%) than cooking with soda. These findings highlight the importance of traditional household processing techniques in enhancing the bioavailability of nutrients in pulses. By optimizing soaking and cooking conditions, the nutritional quality of pulses can be improved, making them more effective in supporting dietary health and overall well-being.

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