Abstract:Lentil (Lens culinaris) is widely consumed due to its excellent sources of macronutrient, micronutrients and phytochemicals. In order to better understand its nutritional value, the present study investigated the free, conjugated and bound phenolic content of the black lentil and their antioxidant activity(ferric reducing antioxidant power(FRAP), DPPH(1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity, ABTS[2, 2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical scavenging activity]. Ester conjugated phenolic showed highest levels of phenolic contents (1.61 mg/g), while base hydrolyzed bound phenolic presented the highest levels of flavonoid contents (1.07 mg/g) and antioxidant activities[FRAP(43.80 mmol/g), DPPH(2.13 mg/g), ABTS(3.92 mg/g)]. In addition, two major anthocyanins were identified as delphinidin 3-O-(2-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-α-L-arabinopyranoside) and cyanidin derivatives in the acidified methanolic extract of black lentil.