Nikolic, Nada Cujic, Mutavski, Zorona, Knez, Marija, Savilkin, Katarina, Živkovic, Jelena, Van Bavegem, Evelien, Can Aytar, Erdi, Aydın, Betül, Jones, Petra, Ender Künili, İbrahim, Ozmen, Ozge, Seylam Kusumler, Aylin, Pavlovic, Suzana, Ozalp Unal, Derya, Gunduz, Selin, Copperstone, Claire, Lara, Szymon Wojciech, Akin, Meleksen, Orahovac, Amil, Balazs, Balint, Milesevic, Jelena, Sirbu, Alexandrina and Negrao, Sonia (2025) Peas, natural resources for a sustainable future: a multifaceted review of nutritional, health, environmental, and market perspectives. Frontiers in Nutrition. (In Press)

Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)

Abstract

The pea (Pisum sativum L.) is an emerging pillar in plant-based nutrition and sustainable food systems due to its high-quality proteins, diverse bioactive compounds, and agroecological benefits. This review provides an updated synthesis of the nutritional composition, health-promoting properties, and environmental relevance of peas, emphasizing recent scientific findings. Pea seeds typically contain 20–40% protein, 45–55% starch, and 10–15% dietary fiber, alongside essential micronutrients such as vitamin C (40–60 mg/100 g), folate (60–70 µg/100 g), vitamin K (30–45 µg/100 g), iron (1.5–2.0 mg/100 g), and manganese (0.4–0.6 mg/100 g). Their storage proteins, primarily legumin and vicilin, offer high digestibility and amino acid profiles compatible with human requirements, supporting their rapidly growing use in protein isolates and meat-and dairy-alternative products. Peas represent a valuable source of phenolic acids, flavonoids, and saponins, which contribute to notable antioxidant (50–120 µmol Trolox/g) and anti-inflammatory activities demonstrated in preclinical studies. This is a provisional file, not the final typeset article Compared with other legumes, peas exhibit a lower glycemic index (35–45), making them suitable for metabolic health applications. Agronomically, pea cultivation enhances soil fertility through biological nitrogen fixation (up to 150 kg N/ha), supporting reduced fertilizer inputs and improved crop rotation performance, aligning with circular economy and climate-resilience strategies. Despite these advantages, global consumption and breeding innovation remain insufficient to meet the rising demand for alternative proteins. Future opportunities include improving protein extraction technologies, valorizing processing side-streams, and exploring underutilized phytochemicals to strengthen the nutritional and sustainability profile of pea-based food systems.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon and uploaded to the repository 08/Jan/2026
Keywords:	Pisum sativum L., Peas, Sustainable food systems, nutritional composition, Bioactivecompounds, Health-promoting properties, legume sustainability, Antinutritional
Date Deposited:	08 Jan 2026
URI:	https://repository.uwl.ac.uk/id/eprint/14462

Actions (admin access)