Comparative assessment of infrared/microwave-induced structural and physico-chemical transformations in Canadian...

Infrared (IR) and microwave (MW) processing are rapidly emerging as energy-efficient and clean-label thermal technologies for industrial-scale pulse utilization. This study explored how IR/MW-induced microstructural modifications influence physico-chemical attributes and starch-protein interactions of chickpeas (CP), yellow peas (YP), green lentils (GL), and fava beans (FB) under varying exposure times (60-120 s). Porosity of IR and MW-treated grains was increased as 1.3 %-12.2 % and 3.3 %-26.4 %, respectively. YP showed the highest reduction in cooking time for both IR (62.5 %) and MW (73.2 %). Both IR/MW induced starch gelatinization and protein denaturation, as confirmed by FTIR and correlation analyses. Uniform intermediate peaks in particle size distribution signified better milling quality of thermal-treated grains. YP was responsive to both IR/MW, while CP/FB responded effectively to MW, and GL showed better response to IR. In conclusion, the study underscores the efficacy of IR and MW in modifying pulse microstructure to enhance cooking and nutritional quality for better utilization of pulses.