UC Davis

Interest in plant-based food products has risen significantly due to strong health, environmental, and social arguments. To supply this demand, cost-effective and efficient extraction processes need to be developed for plant-based substrates. Being a high source of proteins, starch, and fiber, chickpeas can be subjected to sustainable processing strategies to generate added value compounds for food, feed, and fuel applications. To date, there is limited information about the impact of key extraction parameters on extraction efficiency and functionality of chickpea proteins. In addition, current chickpea research has been conducted primarily with the use of flammable/neurotoxic hexane to produce defatted chickpea flour for subsequent extraction of proteins, which has raised health, environmental, and consumer concerns. The goal of this study was to develop aqueous (AEP) and enzyme-assisted extraction processes (EAEP) without flammable solvents that rely on the use of mechanical treatments, water, and specific enzymes to improve the extractability and functionality of oil, proteins, and carbohydrates from chickpea flour. Enzyme-based processes were developed to efficiently extract lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates from chickpea flour, enhance the solubility and digestibility of the extracted protein, reduce flatulence-related oligosaccharides, and release a more diverse pool of oligosaccharides in the extracts. Because high water usage is a major drawback, a two-stage countercurrent extraction process was developed, resulting in the reduction of nearly 60% of the water used in the extraction process and increase in the overall process extractability. The results presented herein signifies a starting point for the development of a mechanistic understanding of the impact of key extraction parameters on structural protein and carbohydrate modifications that can impact key functional and biological properties of chickpea extracts.