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Featured Application: The research findings on the environmental impact of innovative malted and decorticated yellow lentils emphasize the need for sustainable production practices in regions facing water scarcity. By focusing on breeding drought-resistant lentil varieties and optimizing agricultural practices, stakeholders can directly contribute to minimizing the environmental footprint of lentil production while maintaining or improving yields. This knowledge can be leveraged to inform policy development, breeding programs, consumer education, and industry innovation, ultimately promoting sustainable and resilient lentil farming systems. This study evaluated the environmental impact of malted, decorticated, and split yellow lentils, specifically Moroccan (ML) and Onano (OL) varieties, cultivated in Morocco and Italy, using a cradle-to-retailer Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach. An analysis through SimaPro 9.5.0.0 software and the Product Environmental Footprint method revealed carbon footprints of approximately 4.5 and 3.3 kg CO2e per kg for malted, dehulled, and split MLs and OLs, respectively, representing increases of 50% and 52% compared to their untreated dry seed counterparts. The Product Environmental Footprints also rose significantly, by 50% for MLs and 55% for OLs, reflecting the higher water and energy demands, as well as additional waste generation, associated with the malting process. This study emphasizes the importance of focusing mitigation efforts on improving the agricultural phase, particularly in land and water use efficiency. While supplemental irrigation can boost yields, especially in water-limited regions, it significantly increases the environmental footprint, underscoring a trade-off between yield gains and sustainability. Consequently, the optimal environmental strategy may not involve increasing irrigation, but rather developing drought-resistant lentil varieties, which could reduce the overall environmental impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review explores the Neapolitan pizza baking process in a traditional wood‐fired oven, employing visual color analysis and IR thermal scanning to detail heat exchange mechanisms. During cooking, the oven floor temperature in the pizza area decreased proportionally to the pizza's mass, whereas the free area maintained a constant temperature of 439 ± 3°C. An IR thermal camera indicated that the oven dome temperature reached approximately 480°C with a weak flame and 500°C with a strong flame. The pizza's bottom achieved a maximum temperature of 100 ± 9°C, facilitated by the Pizzaiolo's skill in lifting and rotating the pizza for uniform cooking. Top temperatures varied: up to 180°C for white pizza and 84°C and 67°C for tomato and Margherita pizzas, respectively. IRIS electronic eye analysis revealed more browning and blackening on the pizza's top compared to its bottom, with peaks of about 26% and 8% for white pizza, respectively. Rapid baking is pivotal in Neapolitan pizza‐making, necessitating precise heat and mass transfer management to influence sensory attributes. European Commission Regulation No. 97/2010 mandates wood‐fired ovens for true Neapolitan pizza, but environmental concerns prompted the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana to certify gas or electric ovens when wood‐fired ovens are impractical. Operating costs vary: liquefied petroleum gas ovens are the costliest, with costs ranging from €5.38 to €6.19/h, whereas natural gas and electric ovens have operating costs between €2.70 and €4.10/h. At €0.15/kg, firewood is the most economical, supporting traditionalist views. However, natural gas and electric ovens present competitive costs under stringent antipollution laws, making them viable alternatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flours rich in resistant starch (RS) are crucial for producing low glycemic index foods, as per Commission Regulation (EU) No. 432/2012. This study assessed the environmental profiles of two high-RS fresh pasta variants: one from malted and decorticated Gradoli Purgatory beans, and another from amylose-rich soft wheat flour, using the Product Environmental Footprint standard method. Both pastas had similar carbon footprints, but the overall weighted score of malted bean pasta was 38% higher than that of the high-amylose wheat pasta, making the latter more economically and environmentally viable. Climate change and water use were major contributors to their environmental footprints, influenced by cultivation practices. Mitigation strategies, such as cultivating drought-resistant beans, are recommended. Although greenhouse gas emissions per gram of protein or RS were similar, overall scores varied, emphasizing the need for sustainable crop selection. Consumer preferences may favor high-amylose wheat for glucose metabolism, while gluten-free, protein-rich needs can be met with malted bean flour, despite its higher environmental impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the environmental ramifications in the production and consumption of pizza. The PAS 2050 standard methodology was used to quantify the cradle-to-grave carbon footprint of a typical medium-sized Neapolitan pizzeria offering both table service and takeaway in cardboard boxes. A spectrum of sustainable practices capable of mitigating the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of pizzerias was analyzed. By accounting for consistent GHG emissions across specific life cycle phases—such as energy consumption, refrigerant gas leakage, detergent production, and wastewater treatment—it was possible to estimate the cradle-to-grave carbon footprint of different iterations of the True Neapolitan Pizza. For instance, the Marinara pizza had a carbon footprint of approximately 1.7 kg CO2e /kg while the Margherita pizza topped with mozzarella cheese registered roughly twice that figure. Moreover, garnishing the Margherita with buffalo mozzarella increased its carbon footprint to 4.2 kg CO2e /kg. This difference in environmental impact can be chiefly attributed to the condiments of vegetable or animal origin, with variations in protein and fat content significantly influencing the energy value of each pizza variant. These findings emphasized the importance of informed decisions for a greener culinary future, highlighting the critical role of ingredient choices in shaping the sustainability profile of pizza offerings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Legumes, rich in protein, fiber, and micronutrients, are increasingly popular in pulse-based and gluten-free foods despite global consumption stagnating at 21 g/day due to taste, low protein digestibility, anti-nutrients, and long cooking times. Bean resistance to cooking causes textural defects like the hardshell and hard-to-cook phenomena. The pectin–cation–phytate hypothesis explains why soaking beans in sodium salts reduces cooking time by enhancing pectin solubility in water. Gradoli Purgatory beans (GPB), from Italy′s Latium region, were malted, reducing phytic acid by 32% and oligosaccharides by 63%. This study evaluated the hardness of cooked GPB seeds in various conditions, including decorticated or malted states, using a modified standard method. Cooking at 98 °C for 7–75 min on an induction hob with a water-to-seed ratio of 4 g/g was tested. Soaking was applied before cooking for conventional seeds only, followed by texture analysis. Conventional GPBs were adequately cooked if their cotyledons disintegrated upon pressing, requiring a force peak of 250 to 220 N and cooking times of 52 to 57 min. Malted, decorticated, and split GPBs cooked similarly to raw decorticated and split ones, with times of 32 and 25 min, respectively. Faster cooking was due to bean coat removal and splitting, not chemical changes. Sodium or potassium carbonate/bicarbonate at 1–2 g/L improved cooking efficiency, with 2 g/L of sodium carbonate reducing cooking time to 13 min. Higher concentrations caused non-uniform cooking. Cooking malted, decorticated, and split GPBs in sodium-carbonated water reduced greenhouse gas emissions from 561 to 368 g CO2e/kg, meeting the demand for eco-friendly and nutritionally enhanced plant protein sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three representative pulses from the Latium region of Italy (namely, Solco Dritto chickpeas, SDC, Gradoli Purgatory beans, GPB, and Onano lentils, OL) underwent malting to reduce their anti-nutrient content, such as phytic acid and flatulence-inducing oligosaccharides. This initiative targets the current low per capita consumption of pulses. Employing Life Cycle Analysis, their environmental impact was assessed, revealing an overall carbon footprint of 2.8 or 3.0 kg CO2e per kg of malted (M) and decorticated (D) SDCs or GPBs and OLs, respectively. The Overall Weighted Sustainability scores (OWSS) complying with the Product Environmental Footprint method ranged from 298 ± 30 to 410 ± 40 or 731 ± 113 µPt/kg for malted and decorticated SDCs, OLs, or GPBs, indicating an increase from 13% to 17% compared to untreated dry seeds. Land use impact (LU) was a dominant factor, contributing 31% or 42% to the OWSS for MDSDCs or MDOLs, respectively. In MDGPBs, LU constituted 18% of the OWSS, but it was overshadowed by the impact of water use arising from bean irrigation, accounting for approximately 52% of the OWSS. This underscores the agricultural phase's pivotal role in evaluating environmental impact. The climate change impact category (CC) was the second-largest contributor, ranging from 28% (MDSDCs) to 22% (MDOLs), and ranking as the third contributor with 12% of the OWSS for MDGPBs. Mitigation should prioritize the primary impact from the agricultural phase, emphasizing land and water utilization. Selecting drought-tolerant bean varieties could significantly reduce OWSSs. To mitigate climate change impact, actions include optimizing electricity consumption during malting, transitioning to photovoltaic electricity, upgrading transport vehicles, and optimizing pulse cooking with energy-efficient appliances. These efforts, aligning with sustainability goals, may encourage the use of malted and decorticated pulses in gluten-free, low fat, α-oligosaccharide, and phytate-specific food products for celiac, diabetic, and hyperlipidemic patients. Overall, this comprehensive approach addresses environmental concerns, supports sustainable practices, and fosters innovation in pulse utilization for improved dietary choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: To improve the current low per capita consumption of lentils, the present study first aimed to minimize the anti‐nutrient content of two yellow Moroccan and Italian lentil seeds by resorting to the malting process and then testing the resulting decorticated flours as ingredients in the formulation of gluten‐free fresh egg pastas. RESULTS: The most proper operating conditions for the three malting process steps were identified in a bench‐top plant. The first (water steeping) and second (germination) steps were studied at 18, 25 or 32 °C. After 2 or 3 h of steeping at 25 °C and almost 24 h of germination, 95–98.8% of the lentil seeds sprouted. By prolonging the germination process to 72 h, the raffinose or phytic acid content was reduced by about 80% or 95% or 27% or 37%, respectively. The third step (kilning) was carried out under fluent dry air at 50 °C for 24 h and at 75 °C for 3 h. The cotyledons of the resulting yellow lentil malts were cyclonically recovered, milled and chemico‐physically characterized. CONCLUSION: Both flours were used to prepare fresh egg‐pastas essentially devoid of oligosaccharides, and low in phytate (4.6–6.0 mg g−1) and in vitro glycemic index (38–41%). However, the cooking quality of the fresh egg pasta made of malted Moroccan lentil flour was higher with respect to its crude protein content and lower with respect to its water solubility index. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The consumption of chickpeas is disadvantaged by their long cooking times and thus great cooking energy needs, as well as undesirable tastes and smells and the presence of some anti-nutritional factors. This work was aimed at measuring the cooking and nutritional characteristics of a typical chickpea variety (the straight furrow chickpea, SDC) cultivated in the Latium Region of Italy, as such, decorticated or after malting. A threestage (steeping, germination and kilning) process allowed their original contents of a-galactosides and phytate to be reduced by about 57% and 31%, respectively. Once decorticated, malted SDCs were directly cooked in boiling water for about 45 min, while the 16-h presoaked raw counterpart needed a 30-min longer cooking process. Dehulled malted SDCs can thus assist the general consumer with shorter preparation times and more healthy and sustainable eating habits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the malting process of lentil seeds (Lens culinaris) was set-up to minimize their anti-nutrient content. The first (water steeping) and second (germination) process steps were studied in a 1.2-kg bench-top plant at 25 ℃. After 2-h steeping about 98.8% of seeds sprouted. As the germination process was prolonged for 72 h, the flatulence-inducing raffinose or phytic acid content was reduced by 94% or 63%, respectively. The third process step (kilning), carried out under fluent dry air at 50 ℃ for 48 h and at 75 ℃ for 3 h, gave rise to a gold metallic yellow-lentil malt, the cotyledons of which were cyclonically recovered and finally milled. The resulting decorticated yellow-lentil malt flour was used to prepare a fresh egg pasta high in raw protein (28±2 g/100 g), low in phytate (0.46±0.03 g/100 g) and in vitro glycemic index (38%), and approximately zero oligosaccharides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the cradle-to-grave environmental profile of a not-stuffed, egg-free fresh pasta was assessed and compared to that of a conventional durum wheat semolina dry pasta by using a well-known life-cycle assessment software in compliance with the Product Environmental Footprint standard method. Both products made use of national common bread or durum wheat grains, were manufactured in Italian small- and medium-sized pasta factories and were packed in 0.5-kg plastic bags. Whereas dry pasta production was characterized by a cradle-to-grave carbon footprint (CFB2C) of 1.88 kg CO2e/kg and an overall weighted eco-indicator (EI) of 141 μPt/kg, fresh pasta manufacture was distinguished by a CFB2C of 2.59 kg CO2e/kg and an EI of 236 μPt/kg. Their different environmental impact mainly derives from the refrigerated transport of fresh pasta, its moisture content (24% w/w) being quite the double of that of dry pasta (12.5% w/w), and chilled preservation till final consumption. Even if the use of new smart energy-saving home appliances might mitigate the overall environmental impact of both products, the consumption of dry pasta instead of fresh pasta is more eco-sustainable, mainly because it is shelf-stable and needs no refrigerated supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]