Functional Properties of Drum-Dried Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Flours

The chemical and functional properties of three precooked flours pre-pared from citric acid- and sodium bicarbonate-treated chickpeas were compared with those of raw chickpea and soybean flours. The nitrogen solubility and foaming capacity of the precooked flours were markedly reduced by processing. The acid-treated flours showed higher values of oil absorption and viscosity than the sodium bicarbonate-treated flour, but the latter had a higher bulk density. Even at 10% concentration, the acid-treated flour slurries manifested very low viscosities (about 11 centipoises). No significant difference was detected in the water absorption and gelation capacity of the precooked flours.