Effects of seed moisture and micronizing temperature on lentil flour properties and the stabilities of colour and unsaturated lipids of beef-lentil systems

This study investigated the effect of seed moisture level of lentil and surface temperature of micronization (infrared heat treatment) on the physico-chemical and functional properties of resulting flours and how these flours affected colour and unsaturated lipid oxidation when incorporated into ground beef products. Flour from raw seed (non-tempered and non-micronized) was used as the control. Whole seeds of small green lentil (Lens culinaris L., var. Eston) without tempering (8% moisture) and tempered to 16% or 23% moisture was infrared heat treated (micronized) to 115, 130, 150 or 165 °C surface temperature. The decreased protein solubility (2-60%) and lipoxygenase (70-100%), peroxidase (32-100%) and trypsin inhibitory (up to 54%) activities of resulting flours indicated changes in the protein fraction due to heat-moisture treatment. Starch gelatinization was observed at the 23% moisture level and changes in pasting properties, and water and oil absorption capacities varied with treatment. The heat-moisture combinations modified properties of starch and protein to different degrees and, consequently, lentil flour functionalities. Incorporation of lentil flour as a binder in low fat (