## 3 Results and Discussion
### Acidity and Microbiological and Chromaticity Characteristics of Lentil Wholemeal Samples
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Lentil Samples** & **Sample** & **pH** & **LAB Viable Counts,** & \multicolumn{4}{c}{**Colour Coordinates, NBS**} \\  & **Groups** & & **log\({}_{10}\) CFU/g** & **L\({}^{*}\)** & **a\({}^{*}\)** & **b\({}^{*}\)** \\ \hline \multirow{10}{*}{LR} & C\({}_{\text{LR}}\)SM & 6.12 \(\pm\) 0.03 b,E & 4.80 \(\pm\) 0.23 b,A & 68.0 \(\pm\) 0.31 a,E & 1.85 \(\pm\) 0.11 b,B & 31.0 \(\pm\) 0.29 a,D \\  & C\({}_{\text{LR}}\)SS & 6.03 \(\pm\) 0.01 b,D & 4.60 \(\pm\) 0.19 a,A & 67.9 \(\pm\) 0.22 a,E & 1.78 \(\pm\) 0.12 b,B & 31.3 \(\pm\) 0.23 a,D \\  & SMF\({}_{\text{LR}}\)24 & 5.20 \(\pm\) 0.03 a,C & 7.98 \(\pm\) 0.21 b,BC & 63.2 \(\pm\) 0.27 a,C & 1.08 \(\pm\) 0.07 a,A & 23.5 \(\pm\) 0.41 a,C \\  & SMF\({}_{\text{LR}}\)48 & 4.36 \(\pm\) 0.02 a,A & 8.27 \(\pm\) 0.22 a,C & 61.6 \(\pm\) 0.43 b,B & 2.96 \(\pm\) 0.14 a,C & 21.6 \(\pm\) 0.36 b,B \\  & SSF\({}_{\text{LR}}\)24 & 5.22 \(\pm\) 0.03 b,C & 7.63 \(\pm\) 0.23 a,B & 64.0 \(\pm\) 0.25 a,D & 1.19 \(\pm\) 0.08 a,A & 24.3 \(\pm\) 0.25 a,C \\  & SSF\({}_{\text{LR}}\)48 & 4.72 \(\pm\) 0.02 b,B & 8.14 \(\pm\) 0.19 a,BC & 50.9 \(\pm\) 0.19 a,A & 5.34 \(\pm\) 0.21 a,D & 15.6 \(\pm\) 0.21 a,A \\ \hline \multirow{10}{*}{L} & C\({}_{\text{L}}\)SM & 6.02 \(\pm\) 0.01 a,E & 4.42 \(\pm\) 0.15 a,A & 69.6 \(\pm\) 0.25 b,E & 1.01 \(\pm\) 0.06 a,A & 34.7 \(\pm\) 0.37 b,E \\  & C\({}_{\text{LS}}\)SS & 5.94 \(\pm\) 0.03 a,D & 4.87 \(\pm\) 0.24 a,A & 69.4 \(\pm\) 0.39 b,E & 1.08 \(\pm\) 0.05 a,A & 34.5 \(\pm\) 0.41 b,E \\  & SMF\({}_{\text{LR}}\)24 & 5.58 \(\pm\) 0.02 b,C & 7.61 \(\pm\) 0.20 a,BC & 67.7 \(\pm\) 0.26 b,D & 1.98 \(\pm\) 0.12 b,B & 32.3 \(\pm\) 0.32 b,D \\  & SMF\({}_{\text{LR}}\)48 & 4.45 \(\pm\) 0.02 b,A & 8.41 \(\pm\) 0.19 a,D & 58.8 \(\pm\) 0.32 a,B & 5.12 \(\pm\) 0.23 b,C & 18.6 \(\pm\) 0.09 a,B \\  & SSF\({}_{\text{LR}}\)24 & 4.71 \(\pm\) 0.03 a,B & 7.30 \(\pm\) 0.22 a,B & 66.8 \(\pm\) 0.42 b,C & 1.68 \(\pm\) 0.14 b,B & 29.7 \(\pm\) 0.14 b,C \\  & SSF\({}_{\text{LR}}\)48 & 4.46 \(\pm\) 0.01 a,B & 8.10 \(\pm\) 0.18 a,CD & 54.5 \(\pm\) 0.29 b,A & 7.03 \(\pm\) 0.25 b,D & 17.6 \(\pm\) 0.11 b,A \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}  
* C—control samples (non-fermented); L—lentils obtained from pure stands; LR—lentils obtained from relay incorporated with winter ray; SM—submerged conditions (lentis/water ratio 1:5, \(w/w\)); SS—submerged conditions (lentis/water ratio 1:1, \(w/w\)); SM—fermmented under submerged conditions; SSF—fermmented under solid-state conditions; 24, 48—duration of fermentation (in hours). L\({}^{*}\)—brightness or (\(\cdot\)) darkness; a\({}^{*}\)—redness or (\(\cdot\)) greenness; b\({}^{*}\)—yellowness or (\(\cdot\)) blueness; NBS—National Bureau of Standards units; LAB—latici bacteria; CFU—colony-forming units. Data are represented as means (n = 3) \(\pm\) standard errors (SE). a\({}^{\text{,b}}\) Mean values denoted with different letters indicate significantly different values between the different lentil sample groups (LR and L) with the same treatment (SM, SF, SMF24, SMF48, SSF24, and SSF48); a\({}^{*}\)– mean values denoted with different letters indicate significantly different values between different treatments (SM, SF, SMF24, SMF48, SSF24, and SSF48) within the same group (LR or L). Results are statistically significant when \(p\leq 0.05\).  
\end{table} 
Table 1: Acidity, microbiological, and chromaticity characteristics in lentil wholemeal samples. is a suitable strain for lentil fermentation; furthermore, a 48 h fermentation duration was shown to be most suitable for lentil fermentation with this particular LAB strain, because statistically significant lower pH and higher LAB viable counts after 48 h of SMF and SSF were obtained, when compared with 24 h fermented samples. In comparison, chromaticity characteristics of the non-fermented lentils (LR samples: CLRSM and CLRSS) showed, respectively, on average, 1.03 and 10.6% lower brightness (L*) and yellowish (b*), as well as, on average, 42.3% higher redness (a*), in comparison with L samples.