ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL OF DESI CHICKPEA VARIETIES COMMONLY CONSUMED IN PAKISTAN

Antioxidant potential of four Desi chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.) varieties indigenous to Pakistan, namely Balksar 2000, CM98, Dasht and Winhar 2000, was evaluated. All studied varieties exhibited appreciable total phenolic content (0.92–1.12 mg gallic acid equivalents/g), total flavonoid content (0.79–0.99 mg catechin equivalent [CAE]/g) and condensed tannin content (0.58–0.69 mg CAE/g). In addition, antioxidant activities were tested using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (1.05–1.24 µmol trolox/g), 2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (37.24–45.32 µmol trolox/g), ferric-reducing antioxidant power (0.73–0.90 mmol Fe2+equivalents/100 g) and oxygen radical-absorbing capacity (8.58–11.4 µmol trolox/g). All varieties exhibited appreciable antioxidant potential and significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed among the varieties in different systems of antioxidant activity evaluation. The results of the present analytical study showed Desi chickpea (C. arietinum L.) indigenous to Pakistan to be a potentially valuable legume crop with high antioxidant potential. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The analytical findings of this study provide a regional database for this valuable legume crop, which has not been explored so far. The data obtained will be useful to both producers and consumers. Chickpeas may be used as functional ingredients for processing into health foods in the food industry.