Nutritional profile and carbohydrate characterization of spray-dried lentil, pea and chickpea ingredients.

Although many consumers know that pulses are nutritious, long preparation time is frequently a barrier to consumption of lentils, dried peas and chickpeas. Therefore a novel product has been developed which can be used as an ingredient in a wide variety of dishes without presoaking or precooking. Dried green peas, chickpeas or lentils were soaked, cooked, homogenized and spray dried. Proximate analyses were conducted on the pulse powders and compared to an instant mashed potato product. Because the health benefits of pulses may be due in part to their carbohydrate content, a detailed carbohydrate analysis was carried out on the pulse powders. Pulse powders were higher in protein and total dietary fibre and lower in starch than potato flakes. After processing, the pulse powders maintained appreciable amounts of resistant starch (4.4 – 5.2%). Total dietary fibre was higher in chickpeas and lentils (26.2 and 27.1% respectively) than lentils (21.9%), whereas lentils had the highest protein content (22.7%). Pulse carbohydrates were rich in glucose, arabinose, galactose and uronic acids. Stachyose, a fermentable fibre, was the most abundant oligosaccharide, making up 1.5 – 2.4% of the dried pulse powders. Spay drying of cooked, homogenized pulses produces an easy to use ingredient with good nutritional properties.