Physicochemical, texture and sensorial evaluation of pasta enriched with chickpea flour and protein isolate

Pasta is healthy, cheap, versatile, and convenient as a carrier of bioactive components. The present work focused on increasing the nutritional quality of pasta via chickpea flour and protein isolate in addition to monitoring the influences of this fortification on the physicochemical, texture and sensory attributes of functional pasta. Eight fortified pasta products were prepared of durum semolina wheat with partial replacements of 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10% of chickpea flour (CF)/or chickpea protein isolate (PI). Cooking quality, moisture content, swelling index, starch content, in-vitro protein digestibility, texture and sensory properties were evaluated. CF and PI fortifications decreased optimum cooking time (Min. 5 min) and starch content (Min. 62%) with overall increases in cooking losses (Max. 5.79%), swelling index (SI) (Max. 31.69%), hardness (Max. 22.13 g), cohesiveness (Max. 1.13), springiness (Max. 1.11 cm), gumminess (Max. 21.34 N) and doubled the chewiness (Max. 21.36 g cm−1). The impact of pasta enrichment on its in-vitro protein digestibility against control (91.89%) was varied where CF substitution resulted increased protein digestibility (Max. 95.57%), while counter results have been announced by PI that significantly decreased pasta protein digestibility to (48.55%). Absorbed water was increased along with CF or PI substitutions resulting in higher moisture cooked pasta (Max. 68.83%). Panelists’ opinion summed the upraised differences positively affecting chickpea fortified pasta sensory attributes to gain high acceptance scores. Enrichment the nutritional quality of pasta by fortification with chickpea flour and protein isolate can be recommended supported by enhancements in rheological and sensorial properties.