Replacement of wheat flour by chickpea flour in muffin batter: Effect on rheological properties

The effect on rheological properties of muffin batter of replacing wheat flour (WF) with chickpea flour (CF) was studied by using viscoelastic and steady-state shear tests to characterize the physical structure and predict both processing and batter performances. CF was used to replace WF in the batter partially (25, 50, 75% w/w) or totally (100% w/w, i.e., CF-based gluten-free muffin batter), and compared with a control made only with wheat (100% WF batter). Viscoelasticity and rebuild time decreased significantly with the increase in the percentage of WF replacement. Gluten-free muffin batter had the highest viscosity after shearing reflecting a trend toward a dilatant flow behavior associated with higher intermolecular aggregation interactions due to higher protein content. Rheological properties of the batters are dominated by the starch and protein contents present in the formulations. Replacement of WF by CF also increased the number of air bubbles which were smaller.The authors wish to thank the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness for financial support (AGL2011-28569).Peer Reviewe