Addition of Chickpea Flour in Durum Wheat Flour Makes Tortilla More Nutritious and Palatable, and Technologically Acceptable

Asmaa Benayad; Mona Taghouti; Aouatif Benali; Abdelmajid Zouahri; Samir Bikri; Youssef Aboussaleh; Nadia Benbrahim; Shiv Kumar

doi:10.3390/foods12010072

Addition of Chickpea Flour in Durum Wheat Flour Makes Tortilla More Nutritious and Palatable, and Technologically Acceptable

Foods. 2022 Dec 23;12(1):72. doi: 10.3390/foods12010072.

Authors

Asmaa Benayad^{1

2

3}, Mona Taghouti², Aouatif Benali³, Abdelmajid Zouahri⁴, Samir Bikri¹, Youssef Aboussaleh¹, Nadia Benbrahim², Shiv Kumar⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University Ibn Tofail (UIT), Kenitra 14000, Morocco.
² Research Unit of Plant Genetic Resources and Plant Breeding, National Institute for Agronomic Research (INRA), Rabat 10101, Morocco.
³ Research Laboratory of Food Technology, National Institute for Agronomic Research (INRA), Rabat 10101, Morocco.
⁴ Research Unit of Environment and Conservation of Natural Resources, National Institute for Agronomic Research (INRA), Rabat 10101, Morocco.
⁵ Biodiversity and Crop Improvement Program, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Rabat 10101, Morocco.

Abstract

In order to contribute to the reduction of nutritional deficiencies in Morocco, this study was undertaken to develop a healthier tortilla with higher iron and protein, while maintaining adequate technological and sensory qualities. Composite durum wheat flour enriched with 20, 25, 30, and 35% chickpea flour was assessed for nutritional, functional, and technological properties. Then, we selected two composite blends of 75:25 and 70:30 of durum wheat and chickpea flours for making tortillas to study nutritional, technological, and sensorial qualities. In addition, we studied the effects of making and cooking process and storage time. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were used for data analysis, and GraphPad Prism was used to create graphs. The results showed that composite tortilla had significantly higher nutritional value than durum wheat tortilla, and the best ratio was 30% chickpea flour. At this ratio, the results showed the best cooking time and the best yellowness, but tortilla fluffiness and puffiness decreased. Tortilla processing significantly increased protein at 30% chickpea flour, while minerals except sodium, weight, and diameter decreased. Adding 30% chickpea flour to durum wheat tortilla improved flavor. Then, storage decreased the weight resulting in decreased flexibility, and sanitary quality was lost early for 30% chickpea flour. In conclusion, adding 30% chickpea flour to durum wheat flour results in a healthier and tastier tortilla, which should be consumed fresh.

Keywords: Morocco; blends; chickpea; durum wheat; flours; quality; tortilla.

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding. The APC was funded by Dr Shiv Kumar Agrawal, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Rabat, Morocco.