A comparative study of the functionality and protein quality of a variety of legume and cereal flours

Abstract

Background and objectives The functionality of legume and cereal flours is difficult to compare within the literature due to the lack of standardized methodologies and differences in processing methods. The aim of this research was to investigate the functional (pasting, water/oil holding, foaming, and emulsification) attributes and protein quality of flours derived from a wide range of cereal and legume market classes (Canada) for comparative purposes. Findings Overall, legume flours (mean 1.77 g/g) had slightly higher oil holding capacities than cereal flours (mean 1.50 g/g), whereas their water hydration capacities were similar. In general, legume flours produced more foam with better stability than cereal flours. All legume flours had similar emulsifying properties, whereas for the cereals, oat flour had much lower emulsion stability (52.5%) than the other cereals examined (77.3%–97.7%). The in vitro protein digestibility‐corrected amino acid score (IV‐PDCAAS) of oat flour (62.46%) was much higher than that of wheat (~42%), whereas hull‐less barley (54.29%) was in between these values. Of the legumes studied, soybean and desi and kabuli chickpea flours had high protein quality (IV‐PDCAAS 72%–82%); red lentil was inferior to the aforementioned flours with an IV‐PDCAAS of 43.63%. Conclusions Legume and cereal flours differed mostly in terms of their oil holding, foaming properties, emulsion activity and pasting properties. Selection of a cereal or legume flour will depend on the attributes desired. Significance and novelty Information relating to various legume and cereal flour functionality and nutritional quality will enable for better ingredient selection for various food applications.

Influence of premilling thermal treatments of yellow peas, navy beans, and fava beans on the flavor and end‐product quality of tortillas and pitas

“…Differences in viscosity can be attributed to variations in lipid, protein, and carbohydrate ratios as well as starch structure (Bourré, Frohlich, et al., 2019; Bourré, Young, et al., (2019); Stone et al., 2019; Hoover et al., 2010). Lipids and proteins have been shown to restrict granular swelling and reduce viscosity (Du et al., 2014; Stone et al., 2019). Hoover et al., (2010) reported that starch structure affects pasting properties as pulse starch varies in the amylose to amylopectin ratios and/or amylose and amylopectin chain length, the orientation of amylose chains relative to one another, or strong interactions between starch chains.…”

“…These changes are in agreement with research from Young et al., (2019) and Frohlich et al., (2019) who observed increases in viscosity after roasting or micronization treatments in whole yellow pea flour using similar processing temperatures. Differences in viscosity can be attributed to variations in lipid, protein, and carbohydrate ratios as well as starch structure (Bourré, Frohlich, et al., 2019; Bourré, Young, et al., (2019); Stone et al., 2019; Hoover et al., 2010). Lipids and proteins have been shown to restrict granular swelling and reduce viscosity (Du et al., 2014; Stone et al., 2019).…”

Nutritional, Functional, and Technological Characterization of a Novel Gluten- and Lactose-Free Yogurt-Style Snack Produced With Selected Lactic Acid Bacteria and Leguminosae Flours

“…Thanks to the complementarity of the essential amino acid composition of the proteins from cereal (rice) and legume (lentil/chickpea) ingredients ( Stone et al, 2019 ), YS had a very high EAAI. It resulted circa 54% higher than that found for a similar yogurt-like snacks made with quinoa, a pseudocereal overall known for the high quality of the protein fraction ( Lorusso et al, 2018 ).…”

Utilization of Vigna mungo flour as fat mimetic in biscuits: Its impact on antioxidant profile, polyphenolic content, storage stability, and quality attributes

“…Moisture content decreased with the increasing concentration of VMF and ranged from 4.80% (10% VMF) to 11.20% (control). The VMF‐WF biscuits showed enhanced level of protein, as legumes have more protein than cereals (Stone, Nosworthy, Chiremba, House, & Nickerson, 2019). The protein in 10% VMF was higher in quantity as compared to the control biscuits.…”

“…In this study, amino acids were not examined. The literature revealed that increasing the amount of legume flour in baked products enhanced the fundamental amino acid profile (Stone et al, 2019). Similar observations regarding protein and ash contents were reported in the previous study when legumes flour was utilized in the preparation of WF‐based cookies (Cheng & Bhat, 2016).…”