Nutritional and Compositional Study of Desi and Kabuli Chickpea (Cicer Arietinum L.) Flours from Tunisian Cultivars

peer reviewedTwo chickpea cultivars (Kabuli, Desi) were analyzed to determine and compare their physical characteristics, chemical composition and functional properties to one another. The main objective is to promote their use in food applications and open new opportunities for the development of effective techno-functional additives for use in a wide range of food for¬mulations. Significant differences were revealed among the studied cultivars. Kabuli cultivar has significantly shown (P≤0.05) higher protein content (24.51%), fiber content (21.86%) and lower Water Holding Capacity (WHC) compared to the Desi cultivar. The essential amino ac¬ids were present in chickpea seeds except for tryptophan and cysteine. The sulphur-containing amino acid was the first limiting amino acid. The protein solubility-pH profile of chickpea powders revealed a minimum solubility in the pH between 4 and 5 ranging from 14% to 20% for Kabuli cultivar and 17% to 30% for Desi cultivar. Foaming capacity from different chickpea was observed in the range of 36.9-41% and found significantly different (P≥0.05). Emulsify¬ing Activity (EA) decreased with the increase of flours concentration. Maximum EA (~20%) were observed for Kabuli cultivar. Gelation properties improved when flour concentration in¬creased and the Least Gelation Concentration (LGC) was about 14% for Kabuli cultivar and 16% for Desi cultivar. Chickpea gels were evaluated for their instrumental textural properties. High-quality chickpea flour with improved nutritional properties and good functional proper¬ties could beneficially be used in the formulation of food, such as meat, dairy and bakery prod¬ucts

Effect of drying methods on physico-chemical and functional properties of chickpea protein concentrates

Chickpea protein concentrates (CPCs) were prepared from seed flour by alkaline extraction followed by isoelectric precipitation. The effects of different drying methods (freeze drying and convective drying at 40 °C and 50 °C) on physico-chemical and functional properties of CPCs were investigated. CPCs were found to have high contents of protein (61.20–63.12% dry weight basis). Freeze dried concentrate had the highest values of water and oil holding capacities. This drying method gave the lightest CPCs color. The amino acid of CPCs could reach the FAO/WHO requirement (1990) for the essential amino acids for preschool children and the sulfur-containing amino acids were the first limiting amino acids for all three protein concentrates. The solubility-pH profile of different CPCs showed minimum solubility when the pH was between 4.0 and 5.0. All concentrates were able to decrease the interfacial tension. The thermal properties of CPCs were studied by differential scanning calorimetry. CPCs differed significantly (p ≤ 0.05) in peak denaturation temperature and enthalpy of transition. Hence, drying methods used for the preparation of CPCs powders can affect the physico-chemical and functional properties

Effects of enzymatic hydrolysis on conformational and functional properties of chickpea protein isolate

The impact of enzymatic hydrolysis by Alcalase on the conformational and functional properties of chickpea protein isolate (CPI) was investigated. The physicochemical, interfacial tension and surface characteristics of CPI and their hydrolysates (CPH) according to the degree of hydrolysis (DH) were also determined. These parameters were then related to the changes in the emulsification activity (EAI) and stability (ESI). The enzymatic hydrolysis was found to improve protein recovery and solubility, leading to a reduction in the molecular weight bands with a concomitant increase in the intensity and appearance of protein bands having apparent molecular mass below 20 kDa. The interfacial tension decreased from _66.5 mN m_1 for CPI to _59.1 mN m_1 for CPH. A similar trend was observed for the surface charge which declined from _27.55 mV to _16.4 mV for the CPI and CPH, respectively. These changes were found to have a detrimental effect on the EAI and ESI values

Structural, functional, and ACE inhibitory properties of water-solublepolysaccharides from chickpea flours

tThe present study aimed to characterize and investigate the functional and angiotensin-I convertingenzyme (ACE) inhibition activities of chickpea water-soluble polysaccharides (CPWSP). Physico-chemicalcharacteristics were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis, and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). Functional properties (waterholding capacity: WHC, water solubility index: WSI, swelling capacity: SC, oil holding capacity: OHC,foaming, and emulsion properties) and ACE activities were also investigated using well-established pro-cedures. The FT-IR spectra obtained for the CPWSP revealed two significant peaks, at about 3500 and500 cm−1, which corresponded to the carbohydrate region and were characteristic of polysaccharides.All spectra showed the presence of a broad absorption between 1500 and 670 cm−1, which could beattributed to C−H, C−O, and O−H bands in the polysaccharides. CPWSP had an XRD pattern that wastypical for a semi-crystalline polymer with a major crystalline reflection at 19.6◦C. They also displayedimportant techno-functional properties (SWC, WSI, WHC, and OHC) that can be modulated accordingto temperature. The CPWSP were also noted to display good anti-hypertensive activities. Overall, theresults indicate that CPWSP have attractive chemical, biological, and functional properties that makethem potential promising candidates for application as alternative additives in various food, cosmetic,and pharmaceutical preparations

Low incidence of SARS-CoV-2, risk factors of mortality and the course of illness in the French national cohort of dialysis patients

International audienceThe aim of this study was to estimate the incidence of COVID-19 disease in the French national population of dialysis patients, their course of illness and to identify the risk factors associated with mortality. Our study included all patients on dialysis recorded in the French REIN Registry in April 2020. Clinical characteristics at last follow-up and the evolution of COVID-19 illness severity over time were recorded for diagnosed cases (either suspicious clinical symptoms, characteristic signs on the chest scan or a positive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) for SARS-CoV-2. A total of 1,621 infected patients were reported on the REIN registry from March 16th, 2020 to May 4th, 2020. Of these, 344 died. The prevalence of COVID-19 patients varied from less than 1% to 10% between regions. The probability of being a case was higher in males, patients with diabetes, those in need of assistance for transfer or treated at a self-care unit. Dialysis at home was associated with a lower probability of being infected as was being a smoker, a former smoker, having an active malignancy, or peripheral vascular disease. Mortality in diagnosed cases (21%) was associated with the same causes as in the general population. Higher age, hypoalbuminemia and the presence of an ischemic heart disease were statistically independently associated with a higher risk of death. Being treated at a selfcare unit was associated with a lower risk. Thus, our study showed a relatively low frequency of COVID-19 among dialysis patients contrary to what might have been assumed