Reduction of pulse “antinutritional” content by optimizing pulse canning process is insufficient to improve fat-soluble vitamin bioavailability

•Optimizing canning parameters reduced chickpea phytate, tannin and saponin content.•Optimizing canning parameters also reduced chickpea folate content.•Phytate, tannin and saponin reduction did not improve vitamin D/ K bioaccessibility.•Phytate, tannin and saponin reduction did not improve vitamin D/ K cellular uptake. Some bioactive compounds found in pulses (phytates, saponins, tannins) display antinutritional properties and interfere with fat-soluble vitamin bioavailability (i.e., bioaccessibility and intestinal uptake). As canned chickpeas are consumed widely, our aim was to optimize the chickpea canning process and assess whether this optimization influences fat-soluble vitamin bioavailability. Different conditions during soaking and blanching were studied, as was a step involving prior germination. Proteins, lipids, fibers, vitamin E, lutein, 5-methyl-tetrahydro-folate, magnesium, iron, phytates, saponins and tannins were quantified. Bioaccessibility and intestinal uptake of vitamin D and K were assessed using in vitro digestion and Caco-2 cells, respectively. Significant reductions of phytate, saponin and tannin contents (−16 to −44%), but also of folate content (up to −97%) were observed under optimized canning conditions compared with the control. However, bioaccessibility and cellular uptake of vitamin D and K remained unaffected after in vitro digestion of test meals containing control or optimized canned chickpeas.