Effect of incorporation of germinated flour and protein isolate from chickpea on different quality characteristics of rice‐based noodle

Background and objectives Noodles from rice are consumed in most of the Asian countries due to ease in preparation and good consumer acceptability. So, the present study was designed to develop protein‐enriched noodles from rice flour and chickpea (germinated flour from 7% to 30% and protein isolate from 3% to 10%) and to investigate their physicochemical, cooking, rheology, electrophoretic properties, in vitro starch and protein digestibility and sensory evaluation. Findings The present study was carried out to access the effect of germinated flour (7%–30%) and protein isolate (3%–10%) from chickpea on rice‐based noodle qualities. Dynamic rheology of rice‐based noodle dough showed shear thinning behavior (G′ > G″) with weak gel‐like characteristics. All the rheological models (Power law, Herschel–Bulkley, Bingham, and Casson) used were best fitted to experimental data with coefficient of regression (R2) >93%. Results showed that with increase in level of the germinated chickpea flour and protein isolate, protein content (7.22%–14.35%), antioxidant activity (22.75%–33.79%), and total phenolic content (117.65–223.35 mg GAE/100 g) of the rice‐based noodles increased significantly (p ≤ 0.05), whereas lightness, cooking time (13.35–10.13 min), cooking loss (7.38%–6.78%), cooked weight (41.40–33.15 g/100 g), percentage of starch gelatinization (65.36–41.26), and in vitro starch digestibility decreased significantly. The in vitro protein digestibility (78.68%–87.59%) of noodles increased significantly with added chickpea ingredients (germinated flour and protein isolate). The glycemic index (70.83 to 57.49) of the rice‐based noodles showed significant (p ≤ 0.05) decrease with increase in level of chickpea ingredients (germinated flour and protein isolate). The chickpea‐enriched rice‐based noodle samples were characterized by a number of polypeptide with molecular weight from 250 to 10 kDa, with increased intensity of protein bands. Rice‐based noodles prepared with chickpea flour (20%) and protein isolate (8%) showed better overall acceptability on the basis of sensory evaluation. Conclusions Noodles prepared with germinated chickpea flour (20%) and chickpea protein isolate (8%) showed better acceptability on the basis of sensory score and recommended for noodle making with rice flour with improved noodle quality. Significance and novelty The research explored the possibility of germinated chickpea flour and protein isolate addition to rice for noodle formulation