Impact of Processing on the Bioactive Compounds and Antinutritional Factors of Lentil (Lens culinaris L.)—A Review

Lentil (Lens culinaris L.) is an ancient leguminous crop, with its seeds eaten in numerous forms in throughout the world. Along with macronutrients and micronutrients, it provides a range of non-nutritional constituents, which are categorized as bioactive compounds. These compounds have immense roles in maintaining biological functions in plants and animal kingdom. Bioactive compounds in lentils consist of phenolic compounds, pigment, tocopherol, flavonoids, lectins, oxalic acid, phytic acid, and so forth. Some of these compounds are regarded as antinutritional factors (ANFs) because they prevent nutrients from being absorbed. Processing methods such as cooking, germination, fermentation, dehulling, milling, and extrusion can drastically reduce the amount of ANFs contained in lentils. The primary objective of dehulling and milling is not to reduce or eliminate the ANFs of lentils but to increase their feasibility for using in various food applications. However, the processing stresses may result good or bad effects on the bioactive molecules as well. For instance, the raw lentils may not contain any γ-aminobutyric acid, but following germination and fermentation, it becomes abundant. In this article, we reviewed the studies on the impact assessment of processing techniques on the bioactive components of lentils. By combining existing literature, this review fills a knowledge gap on the ways that processing methods affect lentils' bioactive properties and offers valuable guidance for dietary applications and informed consumer choices. Lentils can cater to recent consumer trends for increasing preference of plant-based proteins by offering nutrient-dense and healthy dietary options.