VALPRO Path Research Paper on Chickpea Flour for Nutritionally Enhanced Products

A new research paper led by VALPRO Path researchers explores the impacts of different thermal treatments of chickpea flour on nutritional and technological properties when incorporated into bakery products.

The paper ‘Thermal treatments of chickpea flour: Techno-functional profiling and resistant starch content of resulting sponge cakes’, published in Applied Food Research in 2026, investigated the performance of raw, roasted and heat-moisture-treated (HMT) chickpea flours when added to wheat flour for the formulation of sponge cakes.

Chickpea flour is a valuable source of protein and resistant starch, which could be harnessed to produce nutritionally enhanced foods. However, the technologies used to process this ingredient can impact both its nutritional characteristics and technological properties.

The researchers evaluated the effects of different chickpea flour treatments on the resulting sponge cakes. By assessing the samples nutritionally, physicochemically, texturally, colourimetrically and structurally, as well as during a short-term storage period, they identified a number of key findings:

• The addition of thermally treated chickpea flour improved the nutritional profile of the final product.
• Heat-moisture-treated (HMT) chickpea flour generated the highest increase in resistant starch content.
• The incorporation of HMT flour contributed to improved moisture retention of the cakes.
• Increasing the percentage of HMT chickpea flour enhanced the softness of the cake crumb during storage.
• Roasted chickpea flour resulted in darker crumb colour, demonstrating the impact of processing on this attribute.
• Structural analysis revealed the impact of the percentage and type of chickpea flour on the distribution of gas cells.
• Statistical analysis identified correlations between resistant starch content and colour profiles.

These findings demonstrate how pre-treatment of chickpea flour can impact both the nutritional value and technological properties of foods enriched with this ingredient. Through these experiments, the researchers demonstrated the potential of processed chickpea flour to produce nutritionally enhanced sponge cakes.

By focusing on this key crop, the study contributes to the overarching objectives of VALPRO Path, which aim to explore novel opportunities to improve the European plant protein value chain and develop higher-value applications for chickpea and other legumes.