Functional, thermal and pasting characteristics of flours from different lentil (Lens culinaris) cultivars.

Flours from four lentil cultivars ('LL-912', 'LL-699', 'LL-56', and 'LL-147') were characterized for their functional, thermal and pasting properties. Results showed that water and oil absorption capacity of flours were 1.5-1.7 and 0.92-1.13 g/g, respectively. The minimum concentration of flours needed for gelation was 12 to 14% while the foaming capacity was 33.9-47.3%. The transition temperatures (To, Tp and Tc) and enthalpies (ΔHgel) associated with gelatinization varied significantly among different lentil cultivars. Several significant correlations were observed among different flour properties as revealed by Pearson correlation and principal component analysis (PCA). PCA showed that 'LL 56' and 'LL 147' cultivars differed greatest degree in the properties of their flours. The pasting properties of flours showed considerable variation when studied by rapid visco analyzer.