Chickpea and pork snack, satiety and blood markers
What it found
In 24 young adults, a snack with chickpea flour and a little pork raised blood sugar more than a pork-only snack in the first 90 minutes, and changed one satiety-related compound at 2 hours.
Both snacks were well accepted.
What they found
Studies in people
Blood sugar after snacks
Blood sugar rose more at 30, 60 and 90 minutes after the chickpea snack than after the meat snack. The difference was smaller by 120 minutes.
Satiety compound at 2 hours
Levels of N-palmitoleoyl ethanolamine, a compound linked to satiety, were higher overall after the chickpea snack than the meat snack, especially at 2 hours.
Satiety compounds in women
In women, changes at 120 minutes were seen for N-palmitoleoyl ethanolamine, and trends were seen for N-oleoyl ethanolamine at 120 minutes and N-di-homo-y-linoleoyl ethanolamine at 60 minutes.
Lipid profile
No changes were seen in the lipid profile after either snack.
Taste and texture
Both snacks were generally well accepted. The meat snack scored higher for colour, while the chickpea snack scored higher for texture and showed a trend toward a higher score for taste.
What the authors conclude
“The hybrid snack was associated with changes in endocannabinoid-like compounds. Therefore, it may provide a lasting satiating effect, while complementing the protein profile of plant-based foods with the quality of animal protein.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that the hybrid snack was associated with changes in endocannabinoid-like compounds and may provide a lasting satiating effect.
- They say it complements the protein profile of plant-based foods with the quality of animal protein.
- They note the longer-lasting satiety effect may be due to more soluble fibre from chickpea flour and the protein composition.
How it was done
The authors wanted to see whether a hybrid snack mixing plant protein from chickpeas with a small amount of pork could complement the protein quality of plant foods and affect satiety.
They ran a randomised, crossover, double-blind trial in 24 healthy people aged 18 to 30, half men and half women. Each person ate a 20 g hybrid snack (chickpea flour plus 6.6% lean pork) and a 20 g meat-based snack (90% lean pork) on separate days, 20 days apart, after an overnight fast. Blood was taken before and at 15, 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes after each snack.
What it can’t tell you
- The study lasted only about 2.5 to 3 months per person and measured short-term responses after a single snack, so it cannot show what happens with long-term eating.
- The results are based on healthy people aged 18 to 30, so they may not apply to children or older adults.
- The authors say a larger sample size would be needed to properly examine differences between men and women.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- B. Arrufat and S Atarés are employees of Fertinagro Biotech S.L., a company that has received funding from CDTI CIEN program, 2019–2023 program (IDI-20190984). They had no role in the collection, analyses and interpretation of data. The rest of the authors declare no conflicts of interest. S. J. Ramos and D. Alonso were employed by Naturuel S.L. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Spain; Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain; Universitat Ramon Llull, Spain
The paper
- Title
- Effect on Satiety-Related Biomarkers of Bar Snacks Containing Chickpea Flour and Pork Protein
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Zomeño MD, Malcampo M, Pérez-Vega KA, et al (2024). Effect on Satiety-Related Biomarkers of Bar Snacks Containing Chickpea Flour and Pork Protein. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu16183180Free full textPubMed 39339780DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error