Seed legumes have played a major role as a crop worldwide, being cultivated on about 12% to 15% of Earth's arable land; nevertheless, their use is limited by, among other things, the presence of several antinutritional factors (ANFsnaturally occurring metabolites that the plant produces to protect itself from pest attacks.) Trypsin inhibitors (TIs) are one of the most relevant ANFs because they reduce digestion and absorption of dietary proteins. Several methods have been developed in order to inactivate TIs, and of these, thermal treatments are the most commonly used. They cause loss of nutrients, affect functional properties, and require high amounts of energy. Given the above, new processes have emerged to improve the nutritional quality of legumes while trying to solve the problems caused by the use of thermal treatments. This review examines and discusses the methods developed by researchers to inactivate TI present in legumes and their effects over nutritional and functional properties.
Several biotechnological techniques are increasingly being employed in plants to enhance their nutritional value and phenolic compound content. As a result, the number of studies regarding the effects of different biotechnological techniques has risen in the last years. Current studies are specially focused on the high phenolic extraction conditions, and recently, the use of industrial by-products as a potential source of bioactive compounds has been studied. To fully comprehend the potential benefits of biotechnological techniques on plant phenolic improvement, research should focus on the advantages, characteristics, and difference of biotechnological techniques in contrast to conventional and emerging process extraction in plants. This chapter aims to describe the state of the art on plant phenolics enhanced by biotechnological techniques.
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