“Functional properties and microstructures of cowpea cultivated in the NEA-Argentina”

AVANZA, M.V; CHAVES, M.G; ACEVEDO, B; AÑÓN, M.C

LEBENSMITTEL-WISSENSCHAFT UND-TECHNOLOGIE-FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2012 vol. 49 p. 123 - 130

0023-6438

The goal of this work was to analyze the effect of different treatments on functional properties (Color prameters, water holding capacity, oil holding capacity, water imbibition capacity, protein solubility and apparent viscosity) and microstructure of three cowpea varieties. Proteins present in flours obtained from heat-treated seeds exhibited a significant increase in water and oil absorption values, water imbibition capacity, and apparent viscosity, whereas solubility decreased. Color determinations on flours showed a reduction in L* and H*, and an increment in C* with treatment intensity. Structural changes in seeds would explain the variations in the functionality of flours. This study shows that cooking and autoclaving affect significantly the functional properties of flours, while soaking had a lower impact. The knowledge about these changes will be very useful for developing and obtaining new preparations based on cowpea flour.