Legumes are the third most abundant family of flowering plants on the planet. Soybean and peanuts are the legumes with the highest economic relevance and mainly used for oil extraction. In contrast, pulses are a subcategory of legumes that include those whose seeds are consumed as food. Legumes have high lysine content and are low in sulfur-containing amino acids but when combined with cereals, the amino acids are complemented. Although they have a high content of carbohydrates, legumes are rich in resistant starch (RS), and have low glycemic index. Legumes have up to 3.5% minerals, which corresponds mainly to phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and potassium. The switch to more sustainable, nutritious and ethnic foods has increased the demand of pulses for food ingredients for uses as meat replacers or just to increase the protein content in cereal-based foods. Traditional processes such as boiling, cooking, germination and fermentation reduce the trypsin inhibitory activity of legumes, but emerging technologies are an excellent alternative to improve functionality and retain phytochemicals that have beneficial effects on health.
