The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of food texture, oral processing, bolus characteristics, and in vitro digestive conditions on the starch and protein digestibility of al dente and soft-cooked commercial red lentil pasta. For that, samples were cooked as suggested by the provider and their texture properties were promptly analysed. Then, normal and deficient masticated pasta boluses were produced by four healthy subjects, characterised in terms of their oral processing, bolus granulometry, texture and viscoelastic properties, and finally subjected to static in vitro digestion, according to the INFOGEST consensus for both adults and the older adult population. Normal masticated boluses exhibited greater saliva impregnation and lower proportions of large particles, hardness, and stiffness than deficient masticated boluses. Likewise, insufficiently masticated al dente-cooked pasta boluses caused a delay in oral starch digestion owing to the larger particles attained during food oral processing, while reduced intestinal conditions in the elderly only interfere with the release of total soluble proteins in all samples. This work evidences the importance of considering the initial texture of products, oral capabilities, processing behaviour, and physical and mechanical properties of food boluses in digestion studies, opening new prospects in designing pulse-based foods that meet the nutritional requirements of the world\'s population.

The global food industry faces a critical challenge in ensuring sustainable practices to meet the demands of a growing population while minimizing environmental impact. At the same time, consumer awareness and the demand for quality products drive innovation and inspire positive changes in the food supply chain. Aiming to create a more sustainable and nutrient-rich alternative, this study is summarized by characterizing the physical and chemical characteristics of algae-enriched chickpea hummus: an innovative approach to popular food products. The algae-enriched hummuses were developed with an incorporation (6% w/w) of Gelidium corneum and Fucus vesiculosus seaweeds and Chlorella vulgaris (hetero and autotrophic) microalgae to reveal their technological potential and evaluate the nutritional and rheological characteristics relative to a control hummus (without algae). From a nutritional perspective, the main results indicated that hummus enriched with microalgae showed an increase in protein content and an improved mineral profile. This was particularly notable for the seaweed F. vesiculosus and the autotrophic microalga C. vulgaris, leading to claims of being a \"source of\" and \"rich in\" various minerals. Additionally, the antioxidant activity of hummus containing F. vesiculosus and C. vulgaris increased significantly compared to the control. From a rheological perspective, incorporating algae into the humus strengthened its structure. The microalgae further enhanced the dish\'s elasticity and firmness, thus improving this chickpea-based dish´s overall texture and quality.

Soaking pulses in water is a traditional practice widely used both by many households and by the food industry, and depending on the specific conditions used, can effectively reduce α-galactosides. Monitoring changes in α-galactoside content in pulses under different steeping conditions can provide insights into the degradation mechanisms and help overcome the barrier to consumption caused by digestive problems. In this study, we analyzed the impact of steeping at different temperatures (30, 45, 60, 75, and 90 °C) and at different pH (4.0, 5.0, and 6.0) on α-galactosides content in chickpeas, lentils, and beans. Our results showed that the lower the pH, the faster the α-galactosides were reduced. Moreover, steeping at lower temperatures (30 °C and 45 °C) favored hydrolysis of α-galactosides, whereas steeping at higher temperatures (60, 75, and 90 °C) favored diffusion. Soaking at 45 °C at a pH of 4.0 for 3 h resulted in acceptable levels of α-galactosides (less than 1 g/100 g), i.e. a reduction of up to 65 % in chickpeas, 85 % in lentils, and 52 % in beans.

Buriti oil (Mauritia flexuosa L.) is rich in carotenoids, mainly β-carotene, and has great value for application as a food, pharmaceutical, or cosmetic ingredient, as well as a natural pigment. Microencapsulation is a promising technique to protect compounds sensitive to degradation such as β-carotene. Materials composed of carbohydrates and proteins, such as azuki bean (Vigna angularis L.) and lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) flours, are alternative matrices for microencapsulation, which additionally provide good amounts of nutrients. In combination with maltodextrin, the flours represent a protective barrier in stabilizing lipophilic compounds such as buriti oil for subsequent spray drying. In this work, the performance of mixtures of maltodextrin with whole azuki and lima bean flours was evaluated in the microencapsulation of buriti oil. The microcapsules showed good results for solubility (>80%), hygroscopicity (~7%), encapsulation efficiency (43.52 to 51.94%), and carotenoid retention (64.13 to 77.49%.) After 77 days of storage, the microcapsules produced maintained 87.79% and 90.16% of carotenoids, indicating that the powders have high potential for application as encapsulants in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Pulse crops have become more important in food production and consumption systems for the transition towards sustainability. We present an agroecological dataset from 304 samples from 12 legume field trials in five locations across three countries in the Mediterranean. The field trials were established in the seasons 2021/22 and 2022/23 and tested different lentil or chickpea cultivars, inoculants, intercropping and weeding regimes. The dataset encompasses detailed information on wild flora diversity, grain yield, associated management practices, soil texture and weather during the growing period. Wild flora diversity was recorded by conducting a vegetation survey in 1 × 2 m sample plots. Grain yield was determined at the crop maturity stage, with full plots harvested in Spain, while samples were taken in Croatia and Tunisia. Environmental variables were via laboratory analysis or bottle testing of soil samples and analysis of local weather data. The comprehensiveness of the dataset, including all relevant agroecological information, enables other researchers to employ the dataset for various statistical analyses of agroecosystem processes, such as plant-environment interactions or biodiversity-yield trade-off analysis.

This review article aims to provide an up-to-date overview of the main determinants of consumers\' acceptance of novel foods (new foods and ingredients) in the EU with emphasis on product\'s intrinsic properties (sensory characteristics) and individual factors (socio-demographics, perceptive, psychological) by adopting a systematic approach following the PRISMA methodology. Case studies on terrestrial (i.e., insects, cultured meat and other animal origin products, plant-based food including mushrooms, plant-based analogues, pulses, and cereals) and aquatic systems (i.e., algae and jellyfish) are included focusing on age-related and cross-national differences in consumer acceptance of novel foods and ingredients. General trends have emerged that are common to all the novel foods analysed, regardless of their aquatic or terrestrial origin. Aspects such as food neophobia, unfamiliarity, and poor knowledge of the product are important barriers to the consumption of novel foods, while healthiness and environmental sustainability perception are drivers of acceptance. Sensory properties are challenging for more familiar ingredients such as plant-based food (e.g., novel food made by pulses, mushrooms, cereals and pseudocereals). Results are discussed in terms of feasibility of introducing these products in the EU food systems highlighting strategies that can encourage the use of new ingredients or novel foods.

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Consumption of legumes and pulses is associated with various health outcomes. Therefore, when updating the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (NNR), summarizing the best available evidence on key health outcomes regarded as relevant for the Nordic and Baltics related to the consumption of legumes was essential. The aim of this scoping review was to evaluate the updated evidence on the effect of the consumption of legumes and pulses on various health outcomes, as well as their dose-response relationship in updated systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The scoping review is built on a de novo systematic review published in 2023 and additional searches on the consumption of legumes and pulses and its various health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. Current available evidence shows that the consumption of legumes and pulses is associated with a lower risk of several cancers (evidence: low-moderate), and lower all-cause mortality (evidence: moderate). The associations with CVDs are neutral or inverse, with studies generally showing favourable changes in biomarkers for CVDs. Legume consumption is associated with a lower risk of obesity (evidence: low). For type 2 diabetes, no association was found with incidence, but trials on consumption of legumes and pulses and biomarkers generally indicated protective effects. Overall, the current evidence supports dietary recommendations to increase the consumption of legumes and pulses.

Legumes are becoming increasingly important regarding the transformation of food consumption and production systems towards more sustainability. Apart from supporting and production services, legumes can also enhance biodiversity in agroecosystems. In this dataset, we present results from vegetation surveys of 244 samplings on 32 lentil and chickpea fields of five organic farms in Tuscany, Italy. Centre and edge zones of the fields were surveyed separately. Additionally, the dataset provides a comprehensive summary of the associated management practices applied to the respective fields as well as a characterisation of the site conditions through soil texture, organic matter, local weather data during the legume growing period and the diversity of the field\'s landscape contexts. This additional extensive characterisation of the management system and environment allows the data to be used for a variety of multivariate analysis on biodiversity and agroecosystems.

BACKGROUND: Mung bean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek), is an important pulse crop in the global south. Early flowering and maturation are advantageous traits for adaptation to northern and southern latitudes. This study investigates the genetic basis of the Days-to-Flowering trait (DTF) in mung bean, combining genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in mung bean and comparisons with orthologous genes involved with control of DTF responses in soybean (Glycine max (L) Merr) and Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana).
RESULTS: The most significant associations for DTF were on mung bean chromosomes 1, 2, and 4. Only the SNPs on chromosomes 1 and 4 were heavily investigated using downstream analysis. The chromosome 1 DTF association is tightly linked with a cluster of locally duplicated FERONIA (FER) receptor-like protein kinase genes, and the SNP occurs within one of the FERONIA genes. In Arabidopsis, an orthologous FERONIA gene (AT3G51550), has been reported to regulate the expression of the FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC). For the chromosome 4 DTF locus, the strongest candidates are Vradi04g00002773 and Vradi04g00002778, orthologous to the Arabidopsis PhyA and PIF3 genes, encoding phytochrome A (a photoreceptor protein sensitive to red to far-red light) and phytochrome-interacting factor 3, respectively. The soybean PhyA orthologs include the classical loci E3 and E4 (genes GmPhyA3, Glyma.19G224200, and GmPhyA2, Glyma.20G090000). The mung bean PhyA ortholog has been previously reported as a candidate for DTF in studies conducted in South Korea.
CONCLUSIONS: The top two identified SNPs accounted for a significant proportion (~ 65%) of the phenotypic variability in mung bean DTF by the six significant SNPs (39.61%), with a broad-sense heritability of 0.93. The strong associations of DTF with genes that have orthologs with analogous functions in soybean and Arabidopsis provide strong circumstantial evidence that these genes are causal for this trait. The three reported loci and candidate genes provide useful targets for marker-assisted breeding in mung beans.