Question

Given below are two statements, one is labelled as Assertion (A) and other one labelled as Reason (R).

Assertion (A): Dahl produced by wet milling method will take more time to cook as compared to dry milling method.
Reason (R): Steeping time of pulses affects cooking quality, more steeping time leads to dhal taking more time to cook.

In light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below.

• A. Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
• B. Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is NOT the correct explanation of (A).
• C. (A) is true but (R) is false.
• D. (A) is false but (R) is true.

Hint:

Wet milling involves soaking in water which triggers structural cell-wall alterations in pulses. This results in harder cotyledons that require longer cooking times compared to dry-milled ones.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Pulse milling includes pre-conditioning steps (steeping and drying) that significantly alter the physical structure and cooking characteristics of the finished dhal (cotyledons).

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
1.

Assertion (A): Wet milling of pulses involves prolonged steeping (soaking) in water followed by sun drying.
This thermal and hydration cycling can cause case-hardening of the cotyledon cells, and initiates starch-protein matrix modifications that make the grains resistant to quick water absorption during subsequent boiling.
Thus, dhal obtained from wet milling takes significantly longer to cook than dry-milled dhal. Assertion (A) is true.
2.

Reason (R): The duration of steeping directly alters the cell wall pectin solubility and cellular integrity.
Longer steeping periods cause higher cell membrane changes and lead to the development of "hard-to-cook" (HTC) characteristics, which increase the final cooking time of the threshed dhal. Reason (R) is true.
Since the extended steeping phase in wet milling is the primary physical cause behind the increased cooking duration, Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A).

Step 4: Final Answer:
The correct option is 1, which corresponds to both statements being true and (R) being the correct explanation of (A).