Lentils: Production, Processing Technologies, Products, and Nutritional Profile

Lentils are one of the oldest and most widely cultivated crop species in the world and a leading global source of protein, carbohydrates, and dietary fiber, as well as numerous micro-nutrients. In recent years, they have emerged as a leading candidate to form the basis of non-meat protein substitutes, a skyrocketing industry with immense climate and public health implications. There has never been a more urgent need to understand the cultivation and use of these flexible, resource-rich crops.

Lentils provides a comprehensive overview of every stage in the lentil production chain, from cultivation to processing to sale to consumption. It focuses particularly on pre- and post-harvest processing, alerting readers to the possibilities of lentils in a newly health and environmentally conscious global food marketplace. The result is a thorough, highly accessible, and navigable introduction to a vital subject.

The reader can also find:

• Detailed coverage of lentils including global production/trade, breeding practices, value-addition, nutrition, consumption trends, and quality assessment
• Innovative three-part structure to facilitate reader navigation
• Dedicated chapters on lentil-based meat analogs, engineering properties, and innovative processing technologies

The book can be used as a useful reference for academics and researchers who are working in the fields of food science, food technology, food process engineering, and applied nutrition, as well as for food industry professionals and government regulators with an interest in food production, food security, and the global food market dynamics.