Nutritional, physico-chemical and functional characterization of a global chickpea collection

A comprehensive study to assess and compare physico-chemical, nutritional and functional properties of a chickpea germplasm collection was carried out. The collection, composed of 57 accessions, also included black chickpeas from Apulia (Southern Italy), previously shown to display peculiar phenotypic and genetic features with respect to desi and kabuli chickpeas, and for which no information is currently available. Associations of genetic and phenotypic traits with nutritional and functional properties were assessed. Black (including Apulian types) and brown chickpeas showed a dietary fiber content ranging from 18.0 to 22.1 g 100 g−1, high bioactive compound contents, and levels of PUFA that reached 64.4 and 67.0 g 100 g−1 of total fatty acids, respectively. Brown accessions were characterized by high values of water absorption capacity (1.9 g water g−1 of flour), therefore could be suitable for mixing with cereal flours to produce cereal-pulse foods. Our findings highlight the nutritional and technological potential of local landraces which are being replaced by modern cultivars and are therefore, at risk of genetic erosion.