The Potential Use of Fermented Chickpea and Faba Bean Flour as Food Ingredients

Abstract

Apart from being a rich and inexpensive protein source, legumes provide essential vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre. Considering the nutritional benefits, legumes flour can potentially be incorporated in the development of new products. The aim of this study was to investigate whether fermentation affects the protein content, in vitro protein digestibility, trypsin inhibitor activity and the functionality of proteins in faba bean, desi and kabuli chickpea. Australian grown chickpea and faba bean were selected and initially soaked, de-hulled, dried and milled into flour. This was fermented with lyophilised yoghurt cultures in a 30 °C orbital shaker for 16 h. While protein contents in fermented desi and kabuli flour were lower than their raw counterparts (p > 0.05), it was significantly higher in fermented faba bean. A significant increase (9.5%) in in vitro protein digestibility was found in fermented desi. Trypsin inhibitor activity in fermented desi, kabuli and faba bean reduced by 2.7, 1.1 and 4.7%, respectively (p > 0.05). Overall, the in vitro protein digestibility in flour samples increased, while simultaneously reducing the trypsin inhibitor activity. The water absorption capacity of the fermented kabuli flour significantly increased by 11.3%. All fermented flour samples had significantly higher oil absorption capacity than their corresponding raw flour that was likely due to increased insoluble hydrophobic protein. Although, the foaming capacity in all fermented flour samples was significantly lower than their respective raw samples, only fermented desi and faba bean flour showed lower foaming stability (p > 0.05). The present study suggests that fermented legume flour could fulfill the demand for innovative products of higher nutritional value.

Effect of fermentation time on the physicochemical and functional properties of pea protein‐enriched flour fermented by Aspergillus oryzae and Aspergillus niger

“…Additionally, the hydrophilic surface formed through hyphae production by fungi during fermentation aided in greater binding of water, and offers a mechanistic explanation. Similar studies have reported improved WHC of chickpea, red bean, black‐eyed pea, oil bean, and Moringa oleifera flours through fermentation (Akubor & Chukwu, ; Chandra‐Hioe et al, ; Chawla et al, ; Oloyede, Ocheme, Chinma, & Akpa, ; Reyes‐Moreno, Cuevas‐Rodriguez, Milan‐Carrillo, Cardenas‐Valenzuela, & Barron‐Hoyos, ; Xiao et al, , ). The WHC increase in fermented flours was attributed to fermentation altering the protein conformation through proteolytic activity.…”

“…Previous studies have evaluated the effect of SSF on FC and FS of legume and cereal flours (Adebowale & Maliki, ; Chandra‐Hioe, Wong, & Arcot, ; Chawla et al, ; Elkhalifa, Schiffler, & Bernhardt, ; Xiao et al, ). Xiao et al () reported no significant difference in FC of fermented red bean flour (RBF) compared to unfermented red bean flour, whereas FS of fermented RBF was found to be higher than in the unfermented sample.…”

The Role of Dietary Phenolic Compounds in Protein Digestion and Processing Technologies to Improve Their Antinutritive Properties

“…Fermentation has been shown to be efficient method to significantly reduce total polyphenol and tannin contents, and to markedly increase IVPD in pearl millet (Elyas and others ; El Hag and others ; Onyango and others ), sorghum flour (El Hag and others ; Onyango and others ; Osman and Gassem ), and beans (Chandra‐Hioe and others ). The fermentation‐induced increase in IVPD is attributed to enzymatic breakdown of complex storage proteins into simpler soluble products during fermentation, as well as a contribution from microflora proteolytic enzymes.…”

Metabolism analysis for enhanced nutritional profile of chestnuts subjected to anerobic solid‐state fermentation by probiotic lactic acid bacteria

“…Fermentation can inhibit the catalysis of digestive enzymes and promote protein cross‐linking. Protease secreted during fermentation can degrade protein, thus improving the digestibility of protein in vitro (Çabuk et al, ; Chandra‐Hioe, Wong, & Arcot, ). This was also confirmed by the increase in amino acids content during fermentation (Table ).…”