According to Prof Ryszard Amarowicz, head of the Department of Chemical and Physical Properties of Food at the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IRZiBŻ PAN) in Olsztyn, the content of phenolic compounds in sprouts obtained from lentil seeds is significantly higher than that found in seeds.
Prof Amarowicz, together with Prof Ronald Pegg of the University of Athens, Georgia, USA, published a review article in the journal Current Pharmaceutical Design, bringing together the latest scientific knowledge on lentils as a source of phenolic compounds.
Phenolic compounds exhibit antioxidant activity and the ability to inhibit microbial growth. “In the human body, they act as natural antioxidants, and they inhibit the oxidation of cholesterol in low-density lipoproteins (LDL), so they can ‘defend’ us against atherosclerosis”, reminds Prof Amarowicz.
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