NUTRITIVE VALUE AND SENSORY PROFILE OF MICROWAVE- AND PRESSURE-COOKED DECORTICATED LEGUMES (DHALS) NAVEEDA KHATOON and JAMUNA PRAKASH 1 Department of Studies in Food Science and Nutrition University of Mysore Manasagangotri, Mysore 570 006 India Accepted for Publication March 1, 2006 ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to analyze the nutritional and sensory profiles of decorticated legumes (dhals) cooked in a microwave oven in comparison with pressure-cooked samples. Four dhals, namely Bengal gram (Cicer arietinum), green gram (Phaseolus aureus Roxb.), lentils (Lens escu- lenta) and red gram (Cajanus cajan), were selected for this study. Cooked weight, cooking time, water uptake and extent of sedimentation were the parameters used to determine the cooking quality. Samples were analyzed for their nutrient composition and in vitro protein and starch digestibility. The sensory attributes were measured using a ranking test and quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA). Microwave cooking required more time with a higher water uptake. The ranges of nutrients analyzed in 100 g of cooked samples were as follows: moisture (72.1–77.3 g), protein (21.5–23.2 g), fat (1.0–6.4 g), ash (1.8–3.5 g), iron (3.0–5.4 mg, calcium (37–59 mg), phospho- rus (256–377 mg) and thiamine (0.17–0.41 mg). The cooking methods did not affect the nutrient composition of legumes except for thiamine, which was lost to a significant extent in microwave-cooked samples. Cooking altered the dietary fiber content of some dhals. The mean in vitro protein digestibility values of pressure- and microwave-cooked samples were 81.0 and 75.2%, respectively. The in vitro starch and protein digestibility values of pressure- cooked samples were higher. The sensory evaluation of legume samples exhibited a significant difference in the overall quality of green gram in the ranking test, whereas varied responses were obtained for different dhals in the QDA. 1 Corresponding author. TEL: 0821-2419634. Ex. 67; EMAIL: jampr55@hotmail.com Journal of Food Processing and Preservation 30 (2006) 299–313. All Rights Reserved. © 2006, The Author(s) Journal compilation © 2006, Blackwell Publishing 299