THE EFFECT OF INFRARED RADIATION IN MODIFYING NUTRITIONAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF GRASS PEA SEEDS

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of exposure of grass pea seeds to IR (infrared) radiation applied at varying time intervals on their mechanical properties, trypsin inhibitor activity, and reactive lysine content. Grass pea seeds cv. Derek were exposed to IR radiation at 180[degrees]C for 30, 60, 90, 120, and 180 s, respectively. Compared with that of raw seeds, IR heating of grass pea seeds reduced trypsin inhibitor activity. Reactive lysine proved to be relatively stable in the applied heating conditions. In addition, the process led to the reduction in the value of breaking load required for the destruction of a single seed, which may facilitate further processing, for example, flaking. Therefore, IR heating can be used in processing grass pea seeds. Keywords: grass pea, infrared radiation, reactive lysine, breaking load