Development of Chickpea Snack Using Instant Controlled Pressure Drop Process

Abstract

In this study, development of snack foods from chickpea using instant controlled pressure drop process (DIC) was investigated. Chickpea samples having different moisture content (20–40%) were processed using lab scale DIC equipment at different steam pressure levels (3-5 × 102 kPa) and processing times (1–10 min); then the effects of these processing parameters on the physical and sensory characteristics of the chickpea snacks were determined. Snack properties were mostly affected by changes in processing pressure and time, to a lesser extent by chickpea moisture content. Increasing pressure and time usually improved physical and textural properties of chickpea snacks; however it caused losses of color in the product. Selected products from chickpea snacks got favorable scores from the point of general acceptability. The optimum conditions for the production of desirable chickpea snack were 40% for chickpea moisture content, 5 × 102 kPa for pressure of processing vessel and 4 min for processing time. Practical Applications Expansion in the puffed snack foods is widely provided by the heating and working the mixture to produce dough under pressure, and suddenly releasing the pressure to expand the dough, such as in gun puffing and extrusion cooking process. DIC process is a type of hydrothermal process, which includes self-expansion of the food material due to the mechanical effect created by the abrupt transition from high steam pressure to a vacuum pressure. DIC technology for the production of ready-to-eat snack foods is principally useful for the production of snack products requiring evaluation of whole raw material as its original shape. In the study, chickpea was used to develop snack food. This process appeared to be an advantageous technique for use in development of healthy and ready-to-eat nutritious chickpea snack.