Addition of chickpea markedly increases the indigestible carbohydrate content in semolina pasta as eaten

BACKGROUND: There is a growing interest to increase dietary fiber (DF) consumption due to the health benefits associated with this nutrient. Pulses are considered a good source of non-digestible carbohydrates. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of substituting semolina with chickpea flour to increase the indigestible carbohydrate content without altering the texture of the pasta.RESULTS: Pasta was prepared by extruding semolina: chickpea blends. The protein and DF contents in the cooked pasta increased with the chickpea level with an important contribution of resistant starch (RS) to the DF values. The optimum cooking time decreased as the chickpea content increased, which was related to the degree of starch gelatinization of the raw pasta. The in vitro digestible starch content decreased with the chickpea substitution level, concomitant with the increase in the RS content. In general, the texture of the chickpea-containing pasta was similar to that of semolina pasta.CONCLUSIONS: Pending acceptability studies on these pastas may grant their promotion as good fiber sources, probably helpful in the fight against obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved