Proteomics analysis of auto-fermented chickpea, faba bean, and lentils isolates revealed presence of microbial population

Pulses are an important food and are consumed as a sustainable source of plant-based proteins. The demand for pulse proteins is continuously increasing due to their nutritional, economic, and ecological values. Although pulse proteins provide many health benefits, they have limitations in terms of sensory attributes and anti-nutritional factors. To overcome these challenges, fermentation technology has been explored as a natural food processing method, as it has the potential to enhance the techno-functional qualities, sensory attributes, and nutritional value of the products. Spontaneous fermentation is a natural process in which the native microbial population grows in the substrate without the addition of specific microbes or spores. There is a knowledge gap regarding proteomic changes that occur during the spontaneous fermentation of legumes. The current study utilized mass spectrometry-based proteomics to investigate the effects of spontaneous fermentation on three different pulse protein isolates (chickpea, faba bean, and lentils).