Techno-functionalities and antioxidant capacity of chickpea flour fermented by Lacticaseibacillus casei or by co-culture (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium, and Streptococcus thermophilus)

Abstract

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.; GB) is one of the most consumed pulses worldwide. Fermentation with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) has been a strategy to improve the nutritional and technological quality of chickpea flours, in addition to reducing the levels of antinutritional factors. Thus, this study evaluated the effect of fermentation with Lacticaseibacillus casei or co-culture on water activity (Aw), color, antioxidant capacity, and techno-functional properties of chickpea flour. Chickpeas were fermented at 28 °C for 96 h with Lactobacillus Casei or co-culture, resulting in the samples GBLC and GBCC, respectively, dried at 50 °C, and ground to obtain the flours. Fermentation reduced (P < 0.05) the Wa and color parameters (L*, a*, and b*) of the fermented flours (GBCC and GBLC). In terms of techno-functional properties, GBCC flours showed lower emulsifying capacity (EC, 80%) and emulsion stability (ES, 82.50%). GBLC and GBCC flours showed significant differences (P < 0.05) in swelling power only at 25 °C and a reduction in water solubility index (WSI) at all studied temperatures. LAB fermentation reduced the antioxidant capacity of GBLC e GBCC flours determined by the DPPH method, while in the FRAP method, there was an increase for GBCC and a reduction for GBLC. For the total phenolic content (TPC), there was an increase of 231% for GBCC flour and 164% for GBLC flour. Thus, it was concluded that the fermentation with Lactobacillus Casei and co-culture affected the Wa, color, EC, ES, WSI, the antioxidant capacity by the DPPH and FRAP assays, and the TPC of the fermented flours.