Cereals and pulses comprise the largest proportion in a typical Indian diet plate. This research mainly focuses on determining the nutritional composition, bioactive compound characterization, and antioxidant activities of seven selected cereals and pulses. The total carbohydrate content was high in unripe banana (67.65/100 g) and arrowroot (63.76/100 g). Finger millet (44.55 μmol %), chickpea (53.33 μmol %), and green gram (17.40 μmol %) showed high oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acid contents, respectively. The ascorbic acid content was the highest in chickpea and horse gram at 86.83 and 83.76 mg/100 g, respectively. The major phenolics and flavonoids quantified and confirmed using HPLC and UHPLC-HRMS/MS were gallic, protocatechuic, vanillic, para-coumaric, ferulic, chlorogenic, sinapic, and trans-cinnamic acids, rutin, and quercetin. The sample extracts showed dose-dependent antioxidant activity to combat the reactive oxygen species. Hence, these serve as an excellent source for the development of functional food formulations for lowering the risk of various diseases.

Despite their high nutritional and potential health benefits, cereals and pulses intake has not been increased in the last three decades. Several ready-to-eat (RTE) or ready-to-cook (RTC) formulations were implemented to overcome this and increase their consumption in bakery and snack products. In the present study, we selected five (5) different cereals and pulses, i.e., barley, finger millet, chickpeas, green gram, and horse gram, along with skimmed milk and unripe banana, and arrowroot powder, for the development of functional food formulations. The LC-HRMS/MS confirmed a total of 22 compounds with the MS/MS fragment ions for rutin, quercetin rhamnoside, quercetin-3-xyloside, chlorogenic acid, p-coumarylquinic acid, coumaric acid hexoside, epicatechin, ferulic acid, gallic acid, vanillic acid, protocatechuic acid, and trans-cinnamic acid respectively. A dose-dependent antioxidant potential against TAA, FRAP, DPPH, and ABTS radicals. Hence, the RTC formulations could merit balanced nutritional and nutraceutical needs of the growing malnourished population as sustainable, functional foods.