Sd. Arntfield et al., EFFECT OF TEMPERING AND END MOISTURE-CONTENT ON THE QUALITY OF MICRONIZED LENTILS, Food research international, 30(5), 1997, pp. 371-380
The use of micronization (infrared treatment) on grain legumes tempere
d with water has potential for reducing cooking times. Using Laird len
tils, the effects of tempering conditions and moisture content followi
ng micronization were evaluated in terms of color, chemical properties
and texture after 15 min cooking. The texture of cooked lentils softe
ned as tempering moisture increased. This was related to increasing st
arch gelatinization and decreasing protein solubility during microniza
tion. Changes in the pectic substances did not appear to influence tex
ture. The reduction in hardness indicates that shorter cooking times a
re required for samples micronized under high moisture conditions. Len
til color changed slightly under these high moisture conditions as evi
denced by the Hunterlab readings. (C) 1998 Canadian Institute of Food
Science and Technology. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.