Nutritional and Compositional Study of Desi and Kabuli Chickpea (Cicer Arietinum L.) Flours from Tunisian Cultivars

Two chickpea cultivars (Kabuli, Desi) were analyzed to determine and compare their physical characteristics, chemical composition and functional properties to one another. The main objective is to promote their use in food applications and open new opportunities for the development of effective techno-functional additives for use in a wide range of food for¬mulations. Significant differences were revealed among the studied cultivars. Kabuli cultivar has significantly shown (P≤0.05) higher protein content (24.51%), fiber content (21.86%) and lower Water Holding Capacity (WHC) compared to the Desi cultivar. The essential amino ac¬ids were present in chickpea seeds except for tryptophan and cysteine. The sulphur-containing amino acid was the first limiting amino acid. The protein solubility-pH profile of chickpea powders revealed a minimum solubility in the pH between 4 and 5 ranging from 14% to 20% for Kabuli cultivar and 17% to 30% for Desi cultivar. Foaming capacity from different chickpea was observed in the range of 36.9-41% and found significantly different (P≥0.05). Emulsify¬ing Activity (EA) decreased with the increase of flours concentration. Maximum EA (~20%) were observed for Kabuli cultivar. Gelation properties improved when flour concentration in¬creased and the Least Gelation Concentration (LGC) was about 14% for Kabuli cultivar and 16% for Desi cultivar. Chickpea gels were evaluated for their instrumental textural properties. High-quality chickpea flour with improved nutritional properties and good functional proper¬ties could beneficially be used in the formulation of food, such as meat, dairy and bakery prod¬ucts.