Preface

Legumes, with their outstanding nutritional and nutraceutical properties, are an important and cost-effective source of high-quality proteins (20%–50% of seed content) for the human diet. They encompass the necessary genetic diversity to cope with different environmental stresses that threaten agriculture and food security. Soon, humanity will face many global changes, many of them exacerbated by climate change, such as global food security, the production of waste, and the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Strategies are needed to increase sustainable sources of protein to feed the growing population while promoting recycling and a circular economy.

In this context, legumes may be key crops to meet the needs for sources of plantbased proteins for humans and livestock at an affordable cost. Legume proteins play an important role in nutrition as well as overall health. Nutraceutical aspects of a variety of legume seed compounds are being investigated, particularly their antiinflammatory effects, which are helpful for ameliorating and treating diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, cancer, and so on. Legume proteins are storage proteins belonging to different families, including Vicilin (7S globulin), Legumin (11S globulin), 2S albumin, glutelins, enzymes, enzyme inhibitors, and lectins, which integrate part of the defensive mechanism of the seed. These positive properties of legume proteins may be a consequence of their unique structure and functional features, raised properties of derived peptides from their hydrolysis, or even modification of legume proteins for improved functionality and digestibility.

Legume proteins from pea, lentil, lupine, chickpea, and other types of beans are valuable for functional food production, that is, producing foods with improved nutritional and technological properties. They show a wide range of techno-functional characteristics such as emulsification and stability activity, foam formation and stabilization, gel formation, and water holding capacity. These technological characteristics are fundamental for the final effect that food containing legume proteins will have on human health. Knowing the advantages and potential disadvantages of legume seed proteins for food making will allow industrial applications of these proteins to be more easily achieved.

This book provides an overview of the health benefits, functional properties, and industrial applications of legume seed compounds.

> **Jose C. Jimenez-Lopez** Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology of Plants, Estacion Experimental del Zaidin, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Granada, Spain