Desert legumes as sustainable sources of proteins and bioactive peptides: Technological insights into functional food development from underutilized plants

Abstract

This review explores the trends in consumption of dietary protein from (animal-based sources) and plant-based alternatives, particularly focusing on conventional as well as underutilized desert legumes. Acknowledging the essential role of proteins in cellular homeostasis, this report also underscores the risks associated with prolonged animal protein consumption. The rising popularity of plant-based proteins from legumes and their potential to address the global issue of malnutrition, along with the nutritional significance of legume-based proteins and bioactive peptides, is discussed in detail. Underutilized desert legumes, as sustainable protein sources, have the potential to offer promising health benefits and industrial applications like plant-based cheese and meat production. We have highlighted a few desert legumes- Prosopis cineraria, Cyamopsis tetragonoloba, Acacia senegal, Vigna aconitifolia and their potential to ensure global food security in the face of climate change. The underexplored legumes, often neglected due to limited knowledge about their benefits, hold resilient solutions to the growing demand for high quality protein. The review compares the protein quality of representative legumes, both conventional and overlooked, and highlights the need for the integration of desert legumes into mainstream agriculture and the technological challenges for functional food production. Several advantages of desert legumes are compromised by the presence of anti-nutritional factors (ANFs) in them causing sensory limitations and consumer unacceptability. These problems can be addressed by exploring physical processing techniques, microbial fermentation, and extrusion to eradicate ANFs. Application of novel technologies like 3-D printing and their potential for protein and peptide product development from underutilized desert legumes have also been emphasized.