Project
Impact of processing and storage on the technological and sensorial functionality of pulse-based food products
To increase the consumption of pulses as part of the human diet, pulses can either be consumed as whole seeds (e.g. whole chickpeas or beans) or can be processed into a pulse-derived food ingredient (e.g. flour). Traditionally, pulse flours are produced from the grinding of the dried, raw seeds, resulting in a destruction of the intact cellular microstructure. Recently, we have shown that one can produce pulse flours consisting of large fractions of intact cells through thermal processing of the seeds first, followed by milling and drying. Current project will investigate the impact of the flour generation process conditions on the microstructural flour characteristics, as well as its impact on flour technofunctionality and aroma characteristics in various food applications.