Relationship between the sensory quality of lentil (Lens culinaris) sprouts and their phenolic constituents

Green lentil seeds of the Aldona cultivar were germinated at 20 °C for seven days in the dark, after which the resultant edible sprouts were subjected to sensory evaluation using quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA). A trained panel of nine members assessed differences in the sprouts based on their appearance, odour, taste, and texture. Changes in the profile of phenolic compounds from the sprouts were determined by HPLC-DAD and HPLC-MS. The results showed that the time period for germination played a key role on the sensory profiles of the samples. Attributes that differentiated the sensory profiles were as follows: colour, grassy odour, off-odour, green taste, bitter taste, sweet taste, beany taste, juiciness, fibrousness, and flourness. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the first and second principal component (PC1 and PC2) together explained 96.0% of the total variability for the sensory quality of the samples. HPLC determinations confirmed that during germination the phenolic composition of lentil seeds was modified both qualitatively and quantitatively with respect to ungerminated seeds. Based on partial least squares (PLS) regression analysis, a strong correlation was found between the negative sensory attributes (bitterness and astringency) and the chemical data set (catechin gallate and some types of flavonols).