Phytic acid content of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) and black gram (Vigna mungo): varietal differences and effect of domestic processing and cooking methods

Phytic acid content of various cultivars showed a narrow variation: 7.48-8.00 g kg^?1 and 6.47-6.68 g kg^?1 for chickpea (Cicer arietinum L) and black gram (Vigna mungo L), respectively. Phytic acid was lowered significantly by the common methods of domestic processing and cooking including soaking, cooking, autoclaving and sprouting of the legume grains. Sprouting had the most marked phytic acid lowering effect followed by autoclaving and soaking. Cooking of soaked seeds lowered phytic acid by 20-26% in chickpea and 35-40% in black gram grains whereas the loss was 7-11% and 6-9% in these pulses, respectively, when unsoaked seeds were cooked.     

Milling and physicochemical properties of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) varieties

BACKGROUND: Physical characteristics of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) seeds such as grain size, weight and hull content are important from a milling and marketing point of view. Chemical characteristics provide the information on nutritional status of grains. Chickpea of Desi (cv. A1) and Kabuli (cv. L550) cultivars were analyzed for their physicochemical, milling and milled flour quality characteristics. RESULTS: Between dry and wet milling, higher yield of dhal was obtained from wet milling, which was found to be true in both cultivars. An extra yield of 2–4% was obtained in wet milling. Between the cultivars, Desi was found to be the higher dhal‐yielding cultivar in both dry and wet milling methods. Fat, ash and protein contents were found to be higher in Kabuli than in Desi and the values were respectively 5.3%, 3.5% and 24.9% for Kabuli and 4.3%, 2.2% and 22.6% for Desi. CONCLUSION: The chickpea cultivars Desi and Kabuli vary significantly in their physical properties such as seed color, size, 100‐seed weight and 100‐seed volume. Between the dry and wet milling, a higher yield (2–4%) of dhal was obtained from wet milling. Between the cultivars, electronic nose analysis of chickpea flour indicated the possibility of differentiating the variations associated with varietal difference and milling. The gel electrophoresis pattern of chickpea showed as many as 15 protein bands in flours from both the cultivars, either in phosphate or SDS buffer. The Rapid Visco Analyzer profile did not show a significant difference between the two cultivars. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Impact of pre-treatment (soaking or germination) on nutrient and anti-nutrient contents,cooking time and acceptability of cooked red dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) grown in Ethiopia

Pulses are processed in diverse ways prior to consumption. Soaking and germination are among the most common traditional, household-level food processing strategies. This study was carried out to determine the effects of soaking, germination, cooking and their combinations on the contents of selected nutrients and anti-nutrients of red dry bean and chickpea. In addition, the effects of pre-treatment on cooking time and the acceptability of dishes prepared from red dry bean and chickpea were determined. The nutrient compositions (zinc, iron and calcium) of most soaked-cooked and germinated-cooked red dry bean and chickpea samples were not significantly different than those of respective controls. However, soaking and germination pre-treatments significantly lowered the phytate and tannin contents of the red dry bean and chickpea samples, with a few exceptions, and overall, polyphenol contents were lower after soaking-cooking than after germination-cooking. Most scores for sensory attributes of bean-based and chickpea-based dishes prepared from soaked or germinated samples were not significantly different than those of the controls. For most red dry bean and chickpea samples, longer germination times yielded superior results in terms of reductions in cooking time, tannin content, and phytate:zinc and phytate:iron molar ratio.     

Effects of ripening and parching on the quality characteristics,the chemical composition and the nutritive value of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L)

Physical properties and various chemical constituents of chickpea seeds were determined before and after ripening (malana and dry seeds of Giza 1 cultivar) and before and after parching (dry and parched seeds of Giza 2 cultivar). The raw dry seeds of Giza 2 were much smaller, lighter in mass and higher in seed coat percentage than those of Giza 1. Malana (green seeds at physiological maturity) seeds were large and uniform in size; they became smaller with much variation in seed size upon ripening. Parching significantly reduced the seed mass, but increased the seed volume. Marked differences in the chemical composition of the raw dry seeds were observed between the two cultivars which were grown under different environmental conditions. Ripening resulted in significant decreases in crude protein and polyphenol content but significant increases in nonreducing sugars, raffinose, neutral detergent fibre (NDF), add detergent fibre, cellulose, and phytic acid content. A considerable increase in Ca and Cu, a significant increase in in-vitro protein digestibility, but significant reductions in NDF, trypsin inhibitor activity and phytic acid content occurred upon parching.     

Chemical composition,functional properties and microstructural characteristics of three kabuli chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) as affected by different cooking methods

Chickpea is an important food legume and is a major ingredient in many human diets. Chemical composition, physical parameters, functional properties and microstructural characteristics of three kabuli chickpea cultivars and the effects of three cooking methods were investigated. Carbohydrate and protein were two major components in all seeds. Cooking increased fibre, total carbohydrate and total and resistant starch contents, but decreased ash content. Protein and oil levels of the cooked samples either decreased or did not change significantly. Seed weight and density decreased with cooking. Hydration and swelling capacities as well as water absorption and holding capacities of cooked chickpeas were higher than raw samples, with the largest increases in the pressure‐cooked seeds. Seed weights were highly correlated with hydration (r = 0.89) and swelling (r = 0.76) rates. Emulsifying activity, emulsifying stability and foaming capacity of cooked chickpea flours decreased, while foaming stability increased. Chickpea flours had pronounced morphological changes after cooking.     

Hypocholesterolaemic and antioxidant activities of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) protein hydrolysates

BACKGROUND: Some dietary proteins possess biological properties which make them potential ingredients of functional or health‐promoting foods. Many of these properties are attributed to bioactive peptides that can be released by controlled hydrolysis using exogenous proteases. The aim of this work was to test the improvement of hypocholesterolaemic and antioxidant activities of chickpea protein isolate by means of hydrolysis with alcalase and flavourzyme. RESULTS: All hydrolysates tested exhibited better hypocholesterolaemic activity when compared with chickpea protein isolate. The highest cholesterol micellar solubility inhibition (50%) was found after 60 min of treatment with alcalase followed by 30 min of hydrolysis with flavourzyme. To test antioxidant activity of chickpea proteins three methods were used: β‐carotene bleaching method, reducing power and 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical‐scavenging effect since antioxidant activity of protein hydrolysates may not be attributed to a single mechanism. Chickpea hydrolysates showed better antioxidant activity in all assays, especially reducing power and DPPH scavenging effect than chickpea protein isolate. CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed the good potential of chickpea protein hydrolysates as bioactive ingredients. The highest bioactive properties could be obtained by selecting the type of proteases and the hydrolysis time. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Extraction and characterization of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) albumin and globulin

ABSTRACT:  Albumin and globulin fractions of 1 Desi and 2 Kabuli varieties of chickpeas ( Cicer arietinum ) were extracted with water and salt solutions (K₂SO₄ and NaCl). The extractable yields and particularly the albumin-globulin ratio varied greatly with the extraction medium and chickpea variety. Depending on the procedure employed, albumin could be extracted as a major fraction of chickpea proteins. Higher levels of essential amino acids and sulfur containing amino acids were found in albumins than in globulins of all chickpeas investigated. The common structural characteristics of both Kabuli and Desi chickpea albumins and globulins were clearly identified by densitometric profiles of their sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel patterns. Albumins contained subunits with higher molecular weights than those of globulins. The in vitro digestibility of the chickpea proteins by papain, pepsin, chymotrypsin, and trypsin indicated that globulins were more susceptible to proteolytic hydrolysis.     

Saponin content of chickpea and black gram: Varietal differences and effects of processing and cooking methods

Differences were observed in saponin contents of eight varieties of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) and four of black gram (Phaseolus mungo). Common domestic processing and cooking treatments reduced the saponin level of the pulses significantly. Sprouting had the most pronounced effect followed by autoclaving, soaking and ordinary cooking. Cooking of soaked as well as unsoaked seeds had a similar diminishing effect.     

Microwave‐assisted extraction of bioactive saponins from chickpea (Cicer arietinum L)

Growing interest in plant secondary metabolites has brought with it the need for economical, rapid and efficient extraction protocols. Microwave‐assisted extraction (MAE) was used to extract saponins from chickpea (Cicer arietinum). Several MAE conditions were tested, and the method proved to be superior to Soxhlet extraction with regard to amounts of solvents required, time and energy expended. The use of a butanol/H₂O mixture showed selectivity towards saponin extraction. Using TLC, two distinct saponins were observed in the various chickpea extracts. The identification of the major saponin as a DDMP‐conjugated saponin was verified using ¹H and ¹³C NMR, for the first time in chickpea. The MAE procedure most likely contributed to the conservation of the heat‐sensitive DDMP moiety. The pure chickpea saponin exhibited significant inhibitory activity against Penicillium digitatum and additional filamentous fungi. Two Fusarium strains tested were highly tolerant to the saponin. The potential for using MAE for the efficient extraction of natural products may assist in expediting the chemical analysis and characterization of the biological activities of such compounds. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effect of cooking on protein quality of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) seeds

Amino acid composition and in vitro protein digestibility of cooked chickpea were determined and compared to raw chickpea seeds. Heat treatment produced a decrease of methionine, cysteine, lysine, arginine, tyrosine and leucine, the highest reductions being in cysteine (15%) and lysine (13.2%). Protein content declined by 3.4% and in vitro protein digestibility improved significantly from 71.8 to 83.5% after cooking. The decrease of lysine was higher in the cooked chickpea seeds than in the heated protein fractions, globulins and albumins. The structural modification in globulins during heat treatment seems to be the reason for the increase in protein digestibility, although the activity of proteolytic inhibitors in the albumin fraction was not reduced. Results suggest that appropriate heat treatment may improve the bioavailability of chickpea proteins.     

Amino acid composition of storage proteins of a promising chickpea (Cicer arietinum L) cultivar

The amino acid compositions of flours made from the cotyledons and from the whole seeds of a disease-resistant, stable and high-yielding cultivar of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L) cv H75–35, known locally as Gaurav, have been analysed. These, together with similar analyses of the albumin, globulin, legumin and vicilin protein fractions, have been compared with those of other legumes. Seed protein content was 19·8 % with globulin constituting 62·4 % of the total seed protein. The ratios of albumin to globulin and legumin to vicilin were 1:4 and 6:1, respectively. The proportion of basic amino acids in the albumin was low whereas the reverse was true in the globulin. The legumin fraction seems to be superior in terms of total essential amino acids to those from other sources. Sulphur amino acids were the most limiting, followed by tryptophan or threonine depending on the fraction. However, the ratio of methionine to cystine was high (2·76:1). The extent of the sulphur amino acid deficiency was assessed, and possible approaches for its improvement are outlined.     

Polyphenols of chickpea and blackgram as affected by domestic processing and cooking methods

The effects of soaking, cooking, autoclaving and sprouting on the polyphenol contents of eight cultivars of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) and four of blackgram (Vigna mungo) were studied. All the treatments reduced the polyphenols of the legume seeds, but to a varying extent. Sprouting and autoclaving had the most pronounced effect; ordinary cooking and soaking were relatively less effective.     

鹰嘴豆萌发过程中营养成分和抗营养因子的变化规律

鹰嘴豆在22℃萌发1～6d,研究其在萌发过程中淀粉、可溶性糖、蛋白质、各种氨基酸以及作为抗营养因子的总酚和植酸含量的变化规律。结果表明：鹰嘴豆萌发过程中淀粉含量不断下降,由初始42.60%下降到第6天的30.45%;可溶性糖含量由初始的11.56%急剧降到了第2天的6.06%,之后又缓慢增加,第6天增加至7.80%;蛋白质含量由最初的20.92%增加到第6天的25.71%。鹰嘴豆氨基酸组成以天冬氨酸、谷氨酸、精氨酸为主,含硫氨基酸(蛋氨酸和半胱氨酸)含量比较低。萌发过程中,天冬氨酸、苯丙氨酸和酪氨酸含量有显著增加,而两种含硫氨基酸含量显著降低。总酚含量由初始的0.78‰降低至第6天的0.55‰,植酸含量从最初的1.29%降至第6天的0.67%。萌发过程中鹰嘴豆各营养成分和植酸的含量发生了较显著的变化,其中植酸和总酚的含量下降,增加了鹰嘴豆的生物可利用度。     

Characterisation and functional properties of proteins of some Indian chickpea (Cicer arietinum) cultivars

BACKGROUND: Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) proteins have received attention during recent years owing to their higher biological values and better functional ingredients than oilseed proteins. In this study the composition, fractionation, electrophoretic behaviour and functional properties of five chickpea protein concentrates were determined. RESULTS: The chickpea proteins contained 15.9–54.8 g kg^?1 albumin, 48.9–154.1 g kg^?1 globulin, 39.2–76.5 g kg^?1 glutelin and traces of prolamin. Electrophoresis of the various fractions revealed that albumin and globulin were made up of sub‐units of different molecular weights ranging from 7 to 96 kDa. Water and oil absorption of the protein concentrates varied from 1.15 to 2.75 g g^?1 and from 2.60 to 5.65 g g^?1 respectively. Foaming capacity and foam stability of the protein concentrates were good and improved with the addition of salt (10 g L^?1 NaCl) or sugar (100 g L^?1 sucrose) at both isoelectric and neutral pH. Emulsifying capacity and emulsion stability of the protein concentrates were good and excellent respectively. CONCLUSION: Protein concentrates prepared from chickpeas have potential use in food formulations owing to their good emulsifying/foaming and water/oil‐binding capacities. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Composition and properties of starches from Virginia‐grown kabuli chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) cultivars

Composition and properties of seeds and starches from five Virginia‐grown kabuli chickpea cultivars were investigated. The seeds had the average weight of 4.48 g per 10 g and volume of 641.2 mm³, and were rich in carbohydrate with starch as a principal constituent (59.2–70.9%). Resistant starch accounted for 7.7–10.4% of the total starch content. The composition and properties of the starches among the five cultivars were significantly different (P ≤ 0.05). All starches had a C‐type crystalline structure. The degree of crystallinity ranged from 21.1% to 27.4%, gelatinisation temperature from 7.97 to 11.2 °C and gelatinisation enthalpies from 2.18 to 3.76 J g^?1, and water absorption capacities from 90.7% to 117.5%. Different shapes and granule sizes were observed. Molecular weight of amylopectin was in the range of 6.35 × 10⁸–11.6 × 10⁸ Da. Cultivar ‘HB‐14’ was superior to the other cultivars, when combining larger seed size, higher resistant starch level and better properties.     

Cooking quality and nutritional attributes of some nely developed cultivars of chickpea (Cicer arietinum)

Eight nely developed and to commonly gron chickpea (Cicer arietinum L) cultivars ere evaluated for their cooking quality by measuring cooking time, ater absorption and sensory properties. Nutritional aspects of cooked hole seed samples ere measured chemically (including amino acids and minerals) and biologically in nitrogen-balance experiments ith rats. Results indicated that kabuli (cream seed coat) may be generally preferred to desi (bron seed coat) cultivars in terms of cooking time and sensory properties. Calcium content as noticeably higher in desi than in kabuli cultivars, hereas magnesium, iron, copper and zinc shoed no definite trend. Levels of lysine, threonine, methionine and cystine of these genotypes ere ithin the range of FAO values. Desi and kabuli revealed no noticeable difference in protein and amino acids. Hoever, biological value as considerably higher for kabuli than for desi. Consequently, kabuli contained more utilisable protein and may be nutritionally better than desi. In general, cooking quality and nutritional aspects of both nely developed and control cultivars ere similar.     

Hard‐to‐cook tendency of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L) varieties

Chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L) develop the hard‐to‐cook (HTC) defect during storage at high temperatures (>25 °C) and high relative humidities (RH>65%). The objective of this work was to assess the tendency of chickpea varieties to become HTC. Three samples of chickpeas (Surutato 77, Mocorito 88 and Blanco Sinaloa 92) were grown under irrigation conditions. Two hardening procedures were used: (1) storage hardening—samples were stored at 33–35 °C and 76% relative humidity for 160 days; (2) chemical hardening—materials were soaked in 0.1 M acetate buffer (pH 4.0) at 37 °C for 1–7 h. The cooking time curves generated by chemical hardening had shapes similar to those obtained by storage hardening; both procedures were equally capable of discriminating chickpea varieties based on their susceptibility to develop the HTC condition. Chemical hardening might be useful for screening new chickpea varieties; its advantage over the storage method is its rapidity. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Technological properties of chickpea (Cicer arietinum): Production of snacks and health benefits related to type-2 diabetes

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is one of the most consumed pulses worldwide (over 2.3 million tons enter the world market annually). Some chickpea components have shown, in preclinical and clinical studies, several health benefits, including antioxidant capacity, and antifungal, antibacterial, analgesic, anticancer, antiinflammatory, and hypocholesterolemic properties, as well as angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibition. In the United States, chickpea is consumed mostly in the form of hummus. However, the development of new products with value-added bioactivity is creating new opportunities for research and food applications. Information about bioactive compounds and functional properties of chickpea ingredients in the development of new products is needed. The objective of this review was to summarize available scientific information, from the last 15 years, on chickpea production, consumption trends, applications in the food industry in the elaboration of plant-based snacks, and on its bioactive compounds related to type 2 diabetes (T2D). Areas of opportunity for future research and new applications of specific bioactive compounds as novel food ingredients are highlighted. Research is key to overcome the main processing obstacles and sensory challenges for the application of chickpea as ingredient in snack preparations. The use of chickpea bioactive compounds as ingredient in food products is also a promising area for accessibility of their health benefits, such as the management of T2D.