Unlocking Chickpea Powder’s Potential: The Role of Particle Size in Nutrition & Prebiotics

What is it about?

Chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.) are a sustainable legume with significant nutritional and prebiotic potential, yet the impact of processing techniques, such as particle size reduction, remains underexplored. This study investigates the particle size distribution, proximate composition, prebiotic index (PI), mineral profile, and bioactive carbohydrate correlations of chickpea cultivars BG1108 and BG3062. Particle size analysis revealed that BG3062 produced coarser flour (26.49±0.41% at 710 µm) compared to BG1108, which yielded finer flour (27.08±0.10% at 150 µm), suggesting suitability for granular and smooth-textured products, respectively. Proximate analysis indicated that finer particles (150 µm) had higher protein (22.5-25.8 g/100 g) and fiber (10.2-12.6 g/100 g) contents, enhancing nutrient accessibility, though moisture loss during milling may impact storage stability. The PI was higher in desi chickpeas at coarser particle sizes (710mm) due to elevated resistant starch, with finer particles showing reduced PI from complex polysaccharide degradation. Correlation analysis highlighted strong positive effects of amylose (r=0.985-0.998) and dietary fiber (r=0.962-0.982) on PI, while amylopectin and total starch negatively influenced it. Mineral analysis showed finer particles (150 µm) with increased iron (5.2-6.8 mg/100 g) and zinc (3.1-4.0 mg/100 g) content. These findings underscore the role of particle size in optimizing chickpea flour’s nutritional and prebiotic potential for food applications.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

These findings underscore the role of particle size in optimizing chickpea flour’s nutritional and prebiotic potential for food applications.