Abstract
Chickpeas are rich sources of highly nutritious protein and dietary fibre; the health benefits of consuming legumes such as antioxidant activity (AoxA) could be effective for the expansion of their food uses. The technological properties and antioxidant potential of five pigmented chickpea cultivars were evaluated. Protein content of the grains varied from 24.9 to 27.4 g/100 g sample (dw). The cooking time (CT) of the whole grains ranged from 90.5 to 218.5 min; the lowest CT corresponded to Black ICC3761 cultivar. The total phenolic content (TPC) and AoxA [oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) value] varied from 1.23 to 1.51 mg GAE/g sample (dw) and from 5011 to 5756 μmol TE/100 g sample (dw), respectively; Red ICC13124 showed the highest ORAC value. The differences in technological properties and AoxA among cultivars could be used in chickpea breeding programmes. Chickpea cultivars could contribute significantly to the management and/or prevention of degenerative diseases associated with free radical damage.
Declaration of interest: This research was supported by FOMIX-CONACyT (Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología) – Gobierno del Estado de Sinaloa-2009, CECyT (Consejo Estatal de Ciencia y Tecnología)-Sinaloa 2009 and PROFAPI-UAS (Programa de Fortalecimiento y Apoyo a Proyectos de Investigación, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, México) 2009, 2010. The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.