Abstract

Free, esterified, and insoluble-bound phenolics were extracted from selected lentil cultivars. Total phenolics, flavonoids and proanthocyanidin contents were determined. Catechin, epicatechin and procyanidins B were predominant in all fractions of all tested samples as evaluated using HPLC-DAD-ESI-MSn. Methyl vanillate, procyanidin dimer A, and prodelphinidin dimer A were identified and quantified in lentils for the first time. Procyanidin dimer A was detected only in the insoluble-bound form, methyl vanillate was present in the esterified and insoluble-bound one and prodelphinidin dimer A was found in all forms. The presence of unrevealed compounds present only in the insoluble-bound form shows that ignoring the presence of phenolics linked to the cell wall of lentils may underestimate their potential health benefits. The antioxidant activities and the inhibition of cupric ion-induced human low-density lipoprotein peroxidation and peroxyl radical induced supercoiled plasmid DNA strand scission demonstrated that lentil seeds may be considered as a functional food. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.