Studies for Physicochemical and In Vitro Digestibility Characteristics of Flour and Starch from Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Flour and isolated starch from chickpea (desi type, 328S-8) were evaluated for their in vitro digestibility and physicochemical properties. The protein content, total starch content and apparent amylose content of chickpea flour and isolated starch were 22.2% and 0.6%, 45.8% and 91.5%, and 11.7% and 35.4%, respectively. Chickpea starch granules had an oval to round shape with a smooth surface. The X-ray diffraction pattern of chickpea starch was of the C-type and relative crystallinity was 24.6%. Chickpea starch had only a single endothermic transition (13.3 J/g) in the DSC thermogram, whereas chickpea flour showed two separate endothermic transitions corresponding to starch gelatinization (5.1 J/g) and disruption of the amylose-lipid complex (0.7 J/g). The chickpea flour had a significantly lower pasting viscosity without breakdown due to low starch content and interference of other components. The chickpea starch exhibited significant high setback in the viscogram. The average branch chain length, proportion of short branch chain (DP 6～12), and long branch chains (DP≥37) of isolated chickpea starch were 20.1, 20.9% and 9.2%, respectively. The rapidly digestible starch (RDS), slowly digestible starch (SDS) and resistant starch (RS) contents of chickpea flour and starch were 9.9% and 21.5%, 28.7% and 57.7%, and 7.1% and 9.3%, respectively. The expected glycemic index (eGI) of chickpea flour (39.5), based on the hydrolysis index, was substantially lower than that of isolated chickpea starch (69.2).