Dietary pulses, including dry beans, lentils, chickpeas, and dry peas, have the highest proportion of fiber among different legume cultivars and are inexpensive, easily accessible, and have a long shelf-life. The inclusion of pulses in regular dietary patterns is an easy and effective solution for achieving recommended fiber intake and maintaining a healthier gut and overall health. Dietary pulses-derived resistant starch (RS) is a relatively less explored prebiotic ingredient. Several in vitro and preclinical studies have elucidated the crucial role of RS in fostering and shaping the gut microbiota composition towards homeostasis thereby improving host metabolic health. However, in humans and aged animal models, the effect of only the cereals and tubers derived RS has been studied. In this context, this review collates literature pertaining to the beneficial effects of dietary pulses and their RS on gut microbiome-metabolome signatures in preclinical and clinical studies while contemplating their potential and prospects for better aging-associated gut health. In a nutshell, the incorporation of dietary pulses and their RS in diet fosters the growth of beneficial gut bacteria and significantly enhances the production of short-chain fatty acids in the colon.

A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of the smoking of raita with guava and mango wood on its functional properties and storage stability. The raita was smoked with guava and mango wood for 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 min in a closed chamber. The smoked raita was evaluated for change in titratable acidity (TA), pH, total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant activity (DPPH), colour (L*, a*, and b*), and sensory attributes. Both guava and mango wood smoked samples didn’t show significant changes (P<0.05) in TA, pH, TPC, and antioxidant activity. All colour values (L*, a* and b*) of smoked samples were significantly (P<0.05) higher than the control sample, particularly, the yellowish attribute (b*) was very high in smoked samples. The sample that smoked for 7.5 min had very high overall acceptability scores in both kinds of wood and which is considered as an optimum smoking time for raita. The selected raita samples were stored for 9 days at 4°C and assessed for TA, pH, and standard plate count (SPC) at 3 days of interval. During the storage period, a significant reduction (P<0.05) in pH and a significant increase (P<0.05) in TA was seen till the 6th day of storage. The smoked samples had considerably lower SPC than the control sample and SPC was decreased significantly (P<0.05) with an increase in storage days in all the samples. The preparation is simple and can be served in Pubs/Bars, Casual Dining Restaurants & QSRs (Quick served restaurants).