How processing changes chickpea as a food ingredient
What it found
Processing methods can change the nutrients, health properties and cooking behaviour of chickpeas.
These changes help fit chickpeas into plant-based meat and dairy alternatives.
What they found
Nutrients and processing
Different processing steps change the nutrient makeup of chickpeas. This affects how they work when used as whole foods or mixed into other products.
Health-promoting properties
Processing alters the health-promoting qualities found in chickpeas. The way the grain is handled determines which beneficial traits remain in the final ingredient.
Cooking and mixing behaviour
Processing changes how chickpea ingredients behave during food preparation. This includes how they mix, thicken or hold together in recipes.
Plant-based food uses
Tailored chickpea ingredients can be fitted into plant-based meat and dairy alternative products. Processing helps match the ingredient to what these new markets need.
Leftover processing materials
By-products left over from processing chickpeas have possible uses. Finding ways to use them could support a more sustainable industry.
What the authors conclude
- They recommend further research to build a sustainable industry around chickpeas as value-added food ingredients.
- Their assessment highlights chances to adapt chickpea ingredients for both traditional foods and expanding plant-based markets.
How it was done
Chickpeas are becoming more important for making sustainable plant-based ingredients for food companies. The authors wanted to look at how different processing steps affect their use in foods.
The authors gathered and examined existing research on chickpeas. They looked at traditional and newer ways of turning chickpeas into food ingredients. They also assessed possible uses for leftover by-products from processing chickpeas.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This work gathers existing research rather than testing people directly. It cannot show exactly how eating processed chickpeas will affect an individual person's health.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- The University of Adelaide, Australia; Zhejiang University, China
The paper
- Title
- Processing to improve the sustainability of chickpea as a functional food ingredient
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Augustin MA, Chen JY, Ye JH (2024). Processing to improve the sustainability of chickpea as a functional food ingredient. Journal of the science of food and agriculture. doi:10.1002/jsfa.13532PubMed 38619292DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error