Assessment of Physical, Nutritional, Antioxidant, Antinutritional and Cooking Characteristics of Lentil Cultivar PL 8

Background: From ancient times, lentil has been a prominent part of our diet. Nowadays, there is an emerging interest in lentil, as it is a potential food of plant origin having ample amount of nutrients, which contributes to numerous health benefits. Methods: The seeds of lentil (PL 8) were screened for visual impurity and deformity and sound seeds were selected for further analysis. The seeds were subjected to milling and the flour obtained was further used to analyze the physical parameters, nutritional quality, antinutrient content and cooking characteristics of the chosen variety. The impact of soaking on cooking quality was also observed. Result: It was observed that lentil (PL 8) seeds had higher content of protein, dietary fibre and anti oxidants. However, the antinutrient content as well as physical properties were comparable with the other varieties studied by various authors. It was further observed that soaking of seeds prior to cooking reduced cooking time.