Quality Evaluation of Imported Whole Lentils and ITS Compliance With Sri anka Stadards

Abstract

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) are an important food crop worldwide, valued for their nutritional content, which includes high-quality protein (20%- 30o/o), carbohydrates (60%), and essential micronutrients like calcium, iron, manganese, and selenium. Sri Lanka is a major consumer of lentils but depends entirely on imports to meet its domestic needs. Due to the increasing reliance on imported lentils, establishing standardized protocols is essential to ensure their physical, microbiological, and chemical safety. Sri Lanka imports approximately 100,000 to 120,000 MT of lentils each year, mainly as whole red lentils and split red lentils. This study conducted a preliminary quality assessment of imported whole lentils to verify cornpliance with the SLS 1573: 20ll standard. Thirty-five samples from different consignments were analyzed for key quality parameters, including moisture content (%), proportion of defective seeds, foreign material content (%), presence of live insects, 1000 seed weight (g), color, seed size, and total protein according to standard methods including SLS 1549: Part I, SLS i527, SLS ISO 520, were used respectively. Results showed a moisture content ranged from 8.42%o to 11.31% within the allowable limit of l4o/o. The percentage of defective seeds ranged from 0.66oh to 15.29oh, a few exceeded the maximum permitted level of 10o/o. The foreign material content ranged from 0.04% to 5.98o/o, most samples complied with the SLS requirement of 5o/o. The 1000-seed weight ranged from 30.779 to 56.879, exceeding the minimum requirement of 20g, indicating medium seed size. Live insects were observed in some samples. The protein content ranged from22.25o/o to 28.42oh,which falls within the typical range of 20%-30% for pulses. Negative correlation was found between protein content and defective seed percentage. A significant negative correlation was also observed between color parameters and defective seed o/o, indicattng that higher defect levels were associated with darker and less vibrant seed color. These findings provide valuable baseline data for evaluating the quality of imported whole lentils and highlight the importance of systematic quality monitoring to ensure compliance with Sri Lanka standards.