| Summary: | This study focuses on investigating the effect of post-harvest handling conditions and storage time on the dehulling efficiency and cooking quality of two varieties of red lentils, as well as optimizing the dehulling conditions. The effects of storage time, storage moisture content and storage temperature, as well as the effect of different storage pre-treatments aiming to simulate post-harvest handling, were studied.
Dehulling efficiency was mostly affected by the pre-milling moisture content, regardless of the storage conditions. Pre-treatments involving moisture content changes lowered the dehulling efficiency of both varieties of red lentils, whereas freezing and thawing cycles had less of a negative effect on the dehulling characteristics. Textural parameters were mostly affected by storage time; samples became harder after storage. The final recommendation arising from this study is to monitor the moisture content of lentils during storage as it has a detrimental effect on both the dehulling and cooking quality.
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