Pulses in Human Nutrition: Nutrient Composition, Bioavailability, and Emergency Applications - A Review
Haritha M* and Raajeswari Paramasivam*
ABSTRACT
Pulses are increasingly recognized as strategic foods for advancing global nutrition, reducing micronutrient deficiencies, and strengthening emergency food systems. This review synthesizes evidence on the nutrient composition, bioavailability, and functional properties of major pulses including lentils, chickpeas, common beans, pigeon pea, and mung bean and examines their relevance for both routine diets and crisis conditions. Pulses provide high-quality plant protein, complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, iron, zinc, folate, and diverse bioactive compounds with antioxidant, metabolic, and immunomodulatory effects. Despite their nutritional richness, mineral bioavailability is often constrained by phytates, tannins, and protease inhibitors; however, soaking, thermal processing, germination, fermentation, and emerging technologies such as pulsed electric field treatment significantly improve nutrient accessibility. The review further evaluates the role of pulses in humanitarian food assistance, emphasizing their long shelf life, cultural acceptability, logistical ease, and suitability for fortified and biofortified interventions. Evidence from emergency settings highlights the importance of pre-processed pulse products, nutrient dense pulse, cereal blends, and climate-resilient varieties for supporting vulnerable populations. Critical research gaps are identified across bioavailability assessment, processing scalability, breeding for nutrient density under climate stress, and integration into public-sector
nutrition programs. Collectively, the findings underscore the multifaceted value of pulses and support their expanded use in nutrition policy, health programming, and emergency food system design
