Chickpea hydrolysates: flavor enhancers from vegetable protein

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, with excessive sodium intake being a major risk factor due to its link to hypertension. Efforts to reduce sodium in foods often face consumer rejection due to diminished flavor and texture. This study evaluates Kabuli chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) hydrolysates as potential flavor enhancers to reduce sodium content while maintaining sensory ac-ceptance. Three chickpea types—non-germinated (Raw), germinated (G), and germi-nated with sodium selenite (GSe)—underwent enzymatic hydrolysis with Flavourzyme® at enzyme/substrate concentrations of 2%, 3%, and 4%, for 2, 4, and 6 hours. Hydrolysis efficiency was measured by α-amino nitrogen (AAN) content, amino acid profiles were analyzed using Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to fluorescence de-tector (UPLC-Flr), and antioxidant activity was assessed via 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ácido 2,2'-azino-bis(3-etilbenzotiazolina-6-sulfónico) (ABTS), and Oxygen Rad-ical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) assays. The highest AAN content (30.77 mg AAN/g) was achieved with GSe hydrolysates at 4% enzyme/substrate concentration and 5.27 hours. GSe also exhibited the highest umami amino acid content (60.15 nmol/mg), which was 1.52 times higher than Raw and 1.14 times higher than G under their optimal conditions. For antioxidant activity, ABTS inhibi-tion showed no significant differences (27.80–34.17%), while DPPH inhibition was high-est in G and GSe, outperforming Raw in all conditions. ORAC results showed a distinct behavior for GSe hydrolysates, reaching 263.80 μmol Trolox equivalents/mg under 2% enzyme concentration and 6 hours of hydrolysis, without the decline observed in Raw and G. In conclusion, selenium-enriched germinated chickpeas subjected to specific enzymatic hydrolysis conditions enhance umami amino acid content and antioxidant properties, sup-porting their potential as flavor enhancers to reduce dietary sodium intake.