Pulses are healthy and sustainable but induce gut symptoms in people with a sensitive gut. Oats, on the contrary, have no fermentable oligo- di-, monosaccharides and polyols compounds and are known for the health effects of their fibres. This 4-day cross-over trial investigated the effects of oat and rice flour ingested with pulses on gut symptoms and exhaled gases (4th day only) in subjects with a sensitive gut or IBS (n 21) and controls (n 21). The sensitive group perceived more symptoms after both meals than controls (P = 0·001, P = 0·001). Frequency, intensity or quality of the symptoms did not differ between meals during the first 3 d in either group. More breath hydrogen was produced after an oat than rice containing meal in both groups (AUC, P = 0·001, P = 0·001). No between-group difference was seen in breath gases. During day 4, both sensitive and control groups perceived more symptoms after the oat flour meal (P = 0·001, P = 0·0104, respectively) as mainly mild flatulence. No difference in moderate or severe symptoms was detected. Increased hydrogen production correlated to a higher amount of perceived flatulence after the oat flour meal in both the sensitive and the control groups (P = 0·042, P = 0·003, respectively). In summary, ingestion of oat flour with pulses increases breath hydrogen levels compared with rice flour, but gastrointestinal symptoms of subjects sensitive to pulses were not explained by breath hydrogen levels. Additionally, consumer mindsets towards pulse consumption and pulse-related gut symptoms were assessed by an online survey, which implied that perceived gut symptoms hinder the use of pulses in sensitive subjects.

Pulses such as peas, beans or lentils are one of the most complete foods at the nutritional level; however, they are one of the most often neglected foods in the diets of university students. Entrance to university translates into a major lifestyle change for many young people, and the habits acquired or cemented at this time will remain into adulthood. The objective of this study is to analyse the association between personal/sociodemographic factors, dietary intake of other food groups and the consumption of pulses in first-year university students. This cross-sectional study is part of the UniHcos project, a multicentre study of multipurpose prospective cohorts in eleven Spanish universities. Data from 9862 university students were collected through an online self-questionnaire completed by all students who met the selection criteria and agreed to participate in the project during the 2011–2018 academic years. Of students, 75·8 % presented an inadequate (≤2 times/week) consumption of pulses. Living outside the family home in either a student residence (OR 0·76; 95 % CI 0·69, 0·84) or rental (OR 0·81; 95 % CI 0·70, 0·95) decreased the compliance with recommendations on the consumption of pulses. Low consumption of pulses is seemingly not restricted to a specific profile or dietary pattern among university students, and no specific focus group for intervention can be identified. Policies promoting the consumption of pulses among the university population as a whole are necessary to increase compliance rates with the dietary recommendations.

Interrow cultivation is a selective, in-crop mechanical weed control tool that has the potential to control weeds later in the growing season with less crop damage compared with other in-crop mechanical weed control tools. To our knowledge, no previous research has been conducted on the tolerance of narrow-row crops to interrow cultivation. The objective of this experiment was to determine the tolerance of field pea and lentil to interrow cultivation. Replicated field experiments were conducted in Saskatchewan, Canada, in 2014 and 2015. Weekly cultivation treatments began at the 4-node stage of each crop, continuing for 6 wk. Field pea and lentil yield linearly declined with later crop stages of cultivation. Cultivating multiple times throughout the growing season reduced yield by 15% to 30% in both crops. Minimal yield loss occurred when interrow cultivation was conducted once at early growth stages of field pea and lentil; however, yield loss increased with delayed and more frequent cultivation events.

Model-Order Reduction (MOR) is an important technique that allows Reduced-Order Models (ROMs) of physical systems to be generated that can capture the dominant dynamics, but at lower cost than the full order system. One approach to MOR that has been successfully implemented in fluid dynamics is the Eigensystem Realization Algorithm (ERA). This method requires only minimal changes to the inputs and outputs of a CFD code so that the linear responses of the system to unit impulses on each input channel can be extracted. One of the challenges with the method is to specify the size of the input pulse. An inappropriate size may cause a failure of the code to converge due to non-physical behaviour arising during the solution process. This paper addresses this issue by using piston theory to estimate the appropriate input pulse size.

The first direct absolute dates for the exploitation of several summer crops by Indus populations are presented here. These include rice, millets and three tropical pulse species at two settlements in the hinterland of the urban site of Rakhigarhi. The dates confirm the role of native summer domesticates in the rise of Indus cities. They demonstrate that, from their earliest phases, a range of crops and variable strategies, including multi-cropping, were used to feed different urban centres. This has important implications for understanding the development of the earliest cities in South Asia, particularly the organisation of labour and provisioning throughout the year.

Determinants of the use of cereal and pulse residue for livestock feeding and soil mulching among smallholder farmers in the mixed farming system were analyzed. Crop residue (CR) is dual purpose resources in the mixed crop–livestock systems of the Ethiopian highlands. They serve as livestock feed and inputs for soil and water conservation. They are generated predominantly from cereals and pulses. However, in view of the allocation of CR, soil conservation and livestock are two competing enterprises. Identifying the determinants of the intensity of use of cereal and pulse residue may help in designing strategies for more efficient CR utilization. Data on CR were generated and its utilization was collected in two highland regions in Ethiopia from 160 households using a structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using the multivariate Tobit model. Results of the study showed that farmers prefer using CR from pulses over CR from cereals for livestock feeding purposes. The proportion of CR from pulses that was used as feed was positively affected by education level of the farmer, livestock extension service, number of small ruminants and CR production from the previous season. Distance of farm plots from residences of the farm households negatively affected the proportions of cereal and pulse residue used for feed. The use of pulse residue increased significantly when the women participated in decision making on CR utilization. The proportion of cereal and pulse residue used for soil mulch was positively affected by the education level of the farmer, the distance between the homestead and the cultivated land, extension service, awareness about soil mulch, the slope of cultivated land, participation in farmer-to-farmer extension and CR generated in the preceding season. In view that pulse CR have better nutritive value compared with cereal CR, better utilization of CR could be achieved by maximizing the use of pulse residue as livestock feed and optimizing the use of cereal residue as soil mulch. More livestock extension on the nutritive value of pulse residue should be provided to the farmers who cultivate sloppy plots. Encouraging the culture of labor exchange among the farmers could result in increased labor availability in the farms that would facilitate the transport and storage of pulse residue and increase its use as livestock feed. Increasing the awareness among farmers about the superiority of the pulse residue over cereal residue as feed and encouraging use of cereal residue as soil mulch could optimize the utilization of CR in the household.

Plant macrofossils from the sites of Khao Sam Kaeo and Phu Khao Thong on the Thai-Malay Peninsula show evidence of cross-cultural interactions, particularly between India to the west and Southeast Asia to the east. Archaeobotanical analysis of various cereals, beans and other crops from these assemblages sheds light on the spread and adoption of these species for local agriculture. There is also early evidence for the trade of key commodities such as cotton. The plant remains illustrate a variety of influences and networks of contact across South and Southeast Asia during the late first millennium BC.

Pulses (dry beans, peas, lentils) are nutrient-dense foods that are recommended as good choices in either the vegetable or meat and alternative food groups in Canada's Food Guide. To examine the prevalence and the effect of pulse consumption on nutrient intake in Canadian adults ( ≥ 19 years), we analysed cross-sectional data (n 20 156) from the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey, Cycle 2·2. Participants were divided into non-consumers and quartiles of pulse intake. Sample weights were applied and logistic regression analysis was used to explore the association of nutrient intakes and pulse consumption, with cultural background, sex, age and economic status included as covariates. On any given day, 13 % of Canadians consume pulses, with the highest consumption in the Asian population. The pulse intake of consumers in the highest quartile was 294 (se 40) g/d and, compared with non-consumers, these individuals had higher intakes of carbohydrate, fibre and protein. As well, the micronutrient intake of pulse consumers was enhanced, resulting in fewer individuals who were below the estimated average requirement for thiamin, vitamin B6, folate, Fe, Mg, P and Zn, compared with non-consumers. Although pulses are generally low in Na, its intake also was higher in pulse consumers. Among the higher quartiles of pulse consumers, fruit and vegetable intake was one serving higher. These data indicate that pulse consumption supports dietary advice that pulses be included in healthful diets. Further studies elucidating the sources of increased Na in pulse consumers will be necessary so that dietary advice to increase consumption of pulses will maximise their nutritional benefits.

Pulses have been identified as important components of a healthy diet. Assessment of pulse grains' nutritional composition alongside data from available preclinical and clinical trials suggests that pulses can modulate biological processes that lead to obesity. Components of pulse grains, including pulse-derived fibre and resistant starch, have been shown to alter energy expenditure, substrate trafficking and fat oxidation as well as visceral adipose deposition. Although mechanistic studies are scarce, studies have indicated that fibres found in pulses can have an impact on the expression of genes that modulate metabolism. Arginine and glutamine may produce thermogenic effects as major components of pulse grain proteins. Finally, evidence suggests that pulse-derived fibres, trypsin inhibitors and lectins may reduce food intake by inducing satiety via facilitating and prolonging cholecystokinin secretion. Nonetheless, the aforementioned data remain controversial and associations between dietary pulse grains and energy intake require further study. Given the available evidence, it can be concluded that pulses could be useful as functional foods and food ingredients that combat obesity.

Pulses are low glycaemic foods; however, their effect on satiation is unknown. The objective was to determine the effects of an ad libitum pulse meal on food intake (FI), appetite and blood glucose (BG) before and after a test meal (4 h later) and on FI at the test meal. Males (n 24, 22·8 kg/m2) received one of four treatments or control. The pulse treatments contained pasta and tomato sauce and 44 % of energy from: (1) chickpeas, (2) lentils, (3) navy beans or (4) yellow peas. The control was pasta and tomato sauce (pasta and sauce). FI (satiation) was measured at the treatment meal (0–20 min) and at an ad libitum pizza meal 4 h later. BG and appetite were measured from 0 to 340 min. At the treatment meal, lentils led to lower FI compared to chickpeas and pasta and sauce, whereas navy beans led to lower FI compared to chickpeas. Also, lentils led to lower cumulative FI compared to pasta and sauce. All pulses led to lower BG peak and cumulative area under the curve (AUC; 0–340 min); however, only chickpeas, lentils and navy beans reduced pre-pizza meal BG AUC (0–260 min) relative to pasta and sauce. Chickpeas led to lower post-pizza meal BG AUC (260–340 min) compared to navy beans and yellow peas. Consumption of pulses in a high-glycaemic meal contributes to earlier satiation, lower BG following the meal and after a later meal, but these effects are specific to pulse type and cannot be explained by their glycaemic properties alone.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in most developed countries. Most CVD deaths are preventable through life-style measures such as diet, exercise and avoidance of cigarette smoking. Decreased intake of saturated fat and cholesterol and increased intake of cholesterol-reducing foods, such as pulses, deserve a high priority for activities designed to prevent CVD. Epidemiological and observational studies indicate that habitual intakes of large amounts of dietary fibre or of vegetables are associated with significantly lower rates of CVD. Studies over four decades document the hypocholesterolaemic effect of pulses and soyabeans. We performed a meta-analysis of eleven clinical trials that examined the effects of pulses (not including soyabeans) on serum lipoproteins. Intake of non-soya pulses was associated with these changes: fasting serum cholesterol, –7·2%, 95% CI –5·8, –8·6%; LDL–cholesterol, –6·2%, 95% CI –2·8, –9·5%; HDL–cholesterol, +2·6%, 95% CI +6·3, –1·0%; triacylglycerols, –16·6 %, 95% CI –11·8 %, –21·5 %; and body weight, –20·9%, 95% CI +2·2%, –4·1%. The hypocholesterolaemic effects of pulses appear related, in estimated order of importance, to these factors: soluble dietary fibre, vegetable protein, oligosaccharides, isoflavones, phospholipids and fatty acids, saponins and other factors. Intake of pulses may also reduce risk for CVD by favourable effects on blood pressure, glycaemia and risk for diabetes, and risk for obesity. Overall, the available evidence indicates that regular consumption of pulses may have important protective effects on risk for CVD.

The present paper aims to study why and how health organizations recommend the consumption of pulses such as beans, chickpeas or lentils. Although it is recognized that frequent pulse consumption may reduce serum cholesterol levels and helps reduce risks of coronary heart disease and diabetes, these advantages are scarcely mentioned by health-promoting associations, i.e. vegetarians and organizations helping people to reduce the risks for chronic diseases. Pulses, especially common beans, are rather considered as whole grains that provide plenty of proteins, starch, dietary fibres, minerals and vitamins. Many organizations refer to the food guide pyramid to advise their members, and place beans either in the third part, together with meat, in the second one with fruits and vegetables, or in the bottom part with starchy foods. Whatever their place, they have acquired the status of staple food for anyone who wants to eat a healthy diet.

Consumption of pulses as components of healthy diets is encouraged because it is believed that this is likely to help in reducing the risk of common non-communicable diseases, including cancers. However, the evidence base for the role of pulses in prevention of cancers is unconvincing because of the difficulties, using conventional epidemiological tools, in ascertaining the quantitative contribution made by pulses to cancer risk. Advances in understanding of the biological basis of cancer and of the mechanisms of action of cancer-preventing compounds offer new insights into the role of food-derived substances and of diet—gene interactions in modulating cancer risk. Pulses contain a rich variety of compounds which, if consumed in sufficient quantities, may help to reduce tumour risk.

The mineral content of legumes is generally high, but the bioavailability is poor due to the presence of phytate, which is a main inhibitor of Fe and Zn absorption. Some legumes also contain considerable amounts of Fe-binding polyphenols inhibiting Fe absorption. Furthermore, soya protein per se has an inhibiting effect on Fe absorption. Efficient removal of phytate, and probably also polyphenols, can be obtained by enzymatic degradation during food processing, either by increasing the activity of the naturally occurring plant phytases and polyphenol degrading enzymes, or by addition of enzyme preparations. Biological food processing techniques that increase the activity of the native enzymes are soaking, germination, hydrothermal treatment and fermentation. Food processing can be optimized towards highest phytate degradation provided that the optimal conditions for phytase activity in the plant is known. In contrast to cereals, some legumes have highest phytate degradation at neutral or alkaline pH. Addition of microbial enzyme preparations seems to be the most efficient for complete degradation during processing. Fe and Zn absorption have been shown to be low from legume-based diets. It has also been demonstrated that nutritional Fe deficiency reaches its greatest prevalence in populations subsisting on cereal- and legume-based diets. However, in a balanced diet containing animal protein a high intake of legumes is not considered a risk in terms of mineral supply. Furthermore, once phytate, and in certain legumes polyphenols, is degraded, legumes would become good sources of Fe and Zn as the content of these minerals is high.

The human consumption of grain legumes and pulses in Europe and the EU is lower than in other regions of the world. However, there is a lot of variation between countries and an overall slight increase has been observed in recent years. The major trends in the EU pulse market are illustrated here with a specific focus on Spain, France and the UK, which account for about 60% of the EU pulse consumption. The ways in which pulses are consumed are very different in the various EU countries, due to different regional food habits and traditions, and to differences in the supplies of grain legumes and the markets. Canned products dominate pulse sales compared with dry pulses sold in packets. Dry beans are the most consumed of the pulses in the EU, but the preference between species varies according to country. The factors limiting the consumption of pulses in the EU are mainly: an inadequate level of innovation for developing products adapted to modern life, a small home supply of pulses and competition from cheaper low-quality imports. Recently, however, consumers are favouring healthy and balanced vegetable diets. Pulses have significant nutritional and health advantages for consumers and their cultivation has a positive impact on agriculture and the environment. Therefore the trend in the consumption of pulses could change, especially if publicity about the benefits of pulses is improved and if the food industry and professional organizations take up the challenge to incorporate grain legumes in novel, convenient and healthy food products.

The present paper covers the health benefits of low glycaemic index foods, such as pulses. Nutritional factors potentially play a crucial role in health and disease. A low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet is often recommended as a part of a healthy life-style. Historical works have shown that carbohydrate foods differ in their ability to affect post-ingestive glycaemia. The glycaemic index concept allows a ranking of carbohydrate-rich foods in terms of their blood glucose raising potential. Pulses are foods with very low glycaemic index values. Numerous studies have documented the health benefits that can be obtained by selecting foods of low glycaemic index. These benefits are of crucial importance in the dietary treatment of diabetes mellitus: glycaemic control is improved as well as several metabolic parameters, such as blood lipids. The results of human studies have been confirmed by animal experiments in the field of diabetes. Diets with low glycaemic index value improve the prevention of coronary heart disease in diabetic and healthy subjects. In obese or overweight individuals, low-glycaemic index meals increase satiety and facilitate the control of food intake. Selecting low glycaemic index foods has also demonstrated benefits for healthy persons in terms of post-prandial glucose and lipid metabolism. Several public health organizations have recently integrated consideration of the glycaemic index in their nutritional recommendations for patients with metabolic diseases and for the general population.

In Latin America, pulse consumption ranges from 1 kg/capita per year (Argentina) to 25 kg/capita per year (Nicaragua). Common beans account for 87% of the total. The differences between countries, regions or groups of population within the same country can be explained by the following factors: (1) beans are very nutritious; (2) beans and maize are traditional foods and the habit of consuming them is deeply rooted in many people and communities; (3) the rural population eats more pulses than the urban population, due to geographical constraints that limit exchanges and favour consumption of locally produced foods; (4) income level, beans are still the poor man's meat; and (5) other factors, such as consumers' taste, the constraints on cooking beans, etc. The evolution of the consumption level in the future will depend on the urbanization of the population, access to processed foods and income level. Health issues would be an argument for maintaining or increasing the current consumption level.

Pulses supply many bioactive substances found in minor amounts in food, but which may have significant metabolic and/or physiological effects. These compounds have long been classified as antinutritional factors, but many studies have reconsidered their impact on health. Some could play a role in the prevention of the major diseases of affluent societies. As these compounds can be beneficial or adverse, depending on conditions, an assessment of their various physiological effects is necessary to determine whether they should be preserved or eliminated in each main nutritional situation.

Per cent survival, larval period and weight, pupal duration and weight, emergence, adult longevity and fecundity of Heliothis armigera (Hubner) were affected by the pulse species on which it was reared. The pulses could be classified into two groups i.e. pigeon pea and chick pea which were suitable for growth, development and fecundity and black gram, sweet pea, green gram, broad bean and lentil which were unsuitable.