Alternative use of chickpea flour in breadmaking: Chemical composition and starch digestibility of bread

Chickpea flour (CF) was prepared and used as an ingredient for elaboration of bread with different levels of wheat versus CFs (80 : 20 and 60: 40). Available starch (AS), resistant starch (RS), dietary fibre (DF), the in vitro starch hydrolysis indices (HIs), using a chewing/dialysis digestion protocol and the acceptability of the experimental bread were compared with those of a control bread prepared with wheat flour and baked in the laboratory. HIs were used to predict glyceamic indices (pGI). The bread analysed did not show differences in moisture, lipids and ash content, but CF-bread had higher protein, RS and DF amount than control bread. HI-based pGI for the CF-bread were 46.92 and 34.67%, which were significantly lower than control bread (65.31%), suggesting a 'slow carbohydrate' feature for the CF-based goods. The slow digestion characteristics of chickpea are largely retained in the experimental bread. Data support the perceived health beneficial properties of legumes and CF might be used as a potential ingredient for bakery products with slowly digestible carbohydrates.