Impact of cell intactness and starch state on the thickening potential of chickpea flours in water-flour systems

Present study aimed to obtain insight into the impact of microstructure on the thickening potential of chickpea flours. Three different flour types (non-gelatinised open cell flour (NG-O), pre-gelatinised closed cell flour (PG-C) and pre-gelatinised open cell flour (PG-O)) were compared. All flours clearly exhibited their own characteristic rheological behaviour. Both open cell flours achieved similar viscosities in water-based systems compared to potato starch, albeit at different concentrations. Non-gelatinised open cell flour showed the highest hot swelling capacity and gave substantial viscosity increase at concentrations between 6 and 10%. The pre-gelatinised open cell flour reached similar viscosities at slightly higher concentrations (10–14%) and additionally showed cold swelling potential. The closed cell flour showed no viscosifying properties as starch was encapsulated. It was concluded that chickpea flours show large potential as multifunctional food ingredients, contributing to improved consistency when desired and simultaneously to an increased nutritional value, the former determined by the microstructure.