Thermal processing methods differentially affect the protein quality of Chickpea ( Cicer arietinum ).

Chickpea is a widely produced pulse crop, but requires processing prior to human consumption. Protein bioavailability and amino acid quantity of chickpea flour can be altered by multiple factors including processing method. For this reason, the protein quality of processed chickpea flour was determined using in vivo and in vitro analyses for processed chickpeas. Processing differentially affected the protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) of chickpeas with extruded chickpea (83.8) having a higher PDCAAS score than both cooked (75.2) and baked (80.03). Interestingly, the digestible indispensable amino acid score (DIAAS) value of baked chickpea (0.84) was higher compared to both extruded (0.82) and cooked (0.78). The protein efficiency ratio, another measure of protein quality, was significantly higher for extruded chickpea than baked chickpea ( p  < .01). I n vivo and in vitro analysis of protein quality were well correlated ( R ²  = .9339). These results demonstrated that under certain circumstances in vitro methods could replace the use of animals to determine protein quality.
Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest with regard to the described research, the publication of results, or financial issues. Funding for the study was provided via Agriculture and Agri‐Food Canada Growing Forward 2—Pulse Science Cluster program funded this project. M.G.N was also supported by funds received from the Global Institute for Food Security, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK. MGN and JDH designed and oversaw the experimental components of the study, and MGN prepared the first draft of the manuscript. GM, JN, AF, PA, AU, PF, and MGN conducted the technical aspects of the study. Chickpea varietal samples and data interpretation on varietal differences provided by BT.
(© 2020 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)