Effect of hydrothermal exposure on physical properties of Cicer Arietinum seeds

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Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a widely cultivated pulse crop and is consumed in different forms after subjecting to various pre-processing treatments to improve the palatability and nutritive value. The hydrothermal treatment has often been practiced for reducing the cooking time and to obtain the desired texture in the cooked products. Hydrothermal treatment an important preliminary step often practiced in treatments like germination, roasting, cooking, and fermentation. The present work was aimed to study the hydration kinetics of desi chickpea seeds (Var. PBG-7) at different soaking temperatures ranging from 10 to 60°C with a constant interval of 10°C. The effect of this treatment was studied as the kinetics of changes in the physical characteristics of chickpea seeds. It was observed that water uptake occurred at a higher rate during the initial phase and later on rate decreased until reached equilibrium. The rate of water absorption was found as temperature-dependent and higher at higher temperatures specifically due to increased permeability of seed coat. The moisture content as observed after a soaking time of 350 minutes followed to increase with an increase in temperature. This increase in moisture content was found insignificant after a temperature of 50°C. The weight of seeds was found to increase by 1.76 and 2.12 times, respectively from the initial weight at 10°C and 60°C. The effect of soaking time and temperature on the derived dimensional and gravimetric characteristics of chickpea seeds was determined and the changes in the parameters modeled using a second-degree polynomial model.