Fermentation of chickpea flour with selected lactic acid bacteria for improving its nutritional and functional properties

SÁEZ, G.; SABATER, C.; FARA, A.; ZÁRATE, G.

JOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2021

1364-5072

Aims: To improve the nutri-functional quality of chickpea flour by fermentation with selected Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to formulate functional legumes-derived products. Methods and Results: A Randomized Complete Block Design was carried out to assess the influence of experimental conditions (presence/absence of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum CRL2211 and/or Weissella paramesenteroides CRL2182, temperature, time and dough yield) on LAB population, acidification, antinutritional factors (ANF) and total phenolic contents (TPC) of chickpea flour. Fermentation with both strains for 24 h at 37 ºC produced an increase in LAB (up to 8.9 log cfu/g), acidity (final pH 4.06), TPC (525.00 mg GAE/100 g), and tannins and trypsin inhibitors removal (28.80 mg GAE/100 g and 1.60 mg/g, respectively) higher than the spontaneously fermented doughs. RAPD and Rep-PCR analysis revealed that fermentation was dominated by L. plantarum CRL2211. Molecular docking and dynamics simulations were useful to explain LAB enzymes behaviour during fermentation highlighting the chemical affinity of LAB tannases and proteinases to gallocatechin and trypsin inhibitors. Compared with other processing methods, fermentation was better than soaking, germination and cooking for increasing the techno-functional properties of chickpea flour. Fermented doughs were applied to the manufacture of crackers that contained 81 %more TPC and 64 % more antioxidant activity than controls.Conclusions: Fermentation for 24 h at 37 ºC with selected authochtonous LAB was the best method for improving the quality of chickpea flour and derived crackers type cookies.Significance and Impact of Study: Chickpea is suitable for the development of novel functional foods. Fermentation with selected LAB would improve the final product quality and bioactivity. The combination of experimental and simulation approaches can lead to a better understanding of the fermentation processes in order to enhance the properties of a food matrix.