Functional properties of defatted chickpea flour heat-induced gels

Defatted chickpea flour (DCF), which is a by-product of chickpea oil extraction industry, is rich in nutrients that are beneficial to human health. In this study, the effects of temperature and DCF variation on the rheological properties, water holding capacity, freeze-thaw stability and microstructure of DCF heat induced gels were investigated. The results showed that the viscoelasticity, frequency dependence, and resistance strength of heat induced gels increased significantly with the increase of temperature and DCF variation. The degree of denaturation and water retention of heat induced gels increased significantly with increased variables within the temperature and variation windows of 75°C to 95°C and 13% to 21%. The CLSM results revealed that variations of both temperature and DCF variation could cause the proteins in the heat induced gels to aggregate gradually and to form protein aggregations. When temperature or variation exceeded certain value (85°C or 17%), the protein aggregations broke up and the protein clusters became smaller and more homogeneous. Therefore, the heat induced gels presented better water holding capacity, viscoelasticity, structural stability and gel property at a temperature of 95°C or a DCF variation of 21% within the present experimental range.