Chickpea flour fermentation with kefir improves bread properties

Abstract

Wheat flour possesses remarkable properties for bakery products, yet its nutritional profile remains incomplete. The addition of chickpea flour (CF) enriches the nutritional quality of these products; however, it introduces anti-nutrient compounds. Solid-state fermentation emerges as a promising strategy to mitigate the presence of thermoresistant anti-nutrients. This study focused on fermenting CF using milk kefir and evaluating the influence of inoculum and incubation time on phytic acid content. The fermentation parameters of CF with the kefir consortium were optimized via a central composite experimental design, resulting in an 85% reduction in phytic acid content within a notably short period of time (134 min at 20 °C). Furthermore, the study explored the incorporation of 25% fermented chickpea flour (FCF) in wheat-based bread formulations (with 75% wheat flour), yielding promising outcomes. The inclusion of FCF significantly enhanced specific volume (2.60 vs. 2.34 cm³/g), reduced hardness (17 vs. 23 N), and improved springiness (0.88 vs. 0.86) compared to the control wheat-based bread formulated with unfermented CF.