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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

Sec. Nutrition and Sustainable Diets

Volume 9 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2025.1613117

This article is part of the Research TopicProcessing and Preservation of Indigenous Food Crops: Sustainable Agenda for Nutrition Security in The Global SouthView all 9 articles

Physicochemical and Cooking Properties of Six Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan L) Genotypes from Malawi

Provisionally accepted
Tamara  Tumasile MachinjiliTamara Tumasile Machinjili1*Vernom  kabambeVernom kabambe2agnes  Mbachi Mwangwelaagnes Mbachi Mwangwela2
  • 1Department of Home Economics, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Lilongwe, Malawi
  • 2Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Lilongwe, Malawi

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) is a vital protein source in southern Malawi, yet the relationship between seed coat characteristics and cooking quality remains poorly understood. This study evaluated the influence of variety and seed coat thickness on physicochemical and cooking properties of six pigeon pea varieties: Kachangu (00040), Mwaiwathualimi (ICEAP00557), Chitedze 1 (ICEAP 01514/15), Mthawajuni, Sauma (ICP 9145), and ICPL 93026. Seeds were obtained from ICRISAT and Chitedze Research Station and analyzed for water absorption, cooking time, and splitting behavior in both whole and dehulled forms. Variety significantly influenced cooking time (p < 0.001), water absorption during soaking and cooking (p < 0.001), and splitting tendency (p < 0.001). Cooking times ranged from 97-193 minutes for whole seeds versus 26-54 minutes for dehulled samples. Seed coat removal enhanced water absorption and reduced cooking time by 66% across all varieties. Kachangu and Mwaiwathualimi exhibited intense splitting, while thin-coated varieties showed higher aromatic intensity. Surprisingly, seed coat thickness did not significantly affect physical characteristics, water absorption, or cooking time. However, seed coat presence was the critical determinant of cooking performance. This study demonstrates that varietal selection combined with dehulling represents a strategic intervention for optimizing pigeon pea utilization, while enhancing nutritional accessibility and supporting sustainable food systems in resource-constrained environments. Results provide valuable insights for breeding programs targeting improved cooking quality and utilization of pigeon pea varieties for sub-Saharan Africa.

Keywords: Pigeon peas1, Cooking2, soaking3, seed coat4, dehulling5

Received: 16 Apr 2025; Accepted: 20 Oct 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Machinjili, kabambe and Mwangwela. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Tamara Tumasile Machinjili, tamarachirambo.tc@gmail.com

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