Variability in Some Biochemical and Nutritional Characteristics in Desi and Turkish Kabuli Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Types

Abstract

Chickpea ( Cicer arietinum L.), the third most widely produced food legume in all over the world, is consumed for its protein-rich seeds especially in developing countries. According to seed morphology, cultivated chickpeas are of two types as desi and kabuli. There is a growing interest if extracts obtained from chickpea grains might be used as a source of natural antioxidants and antimicrobials such as phenolic or flavonoid compounds. The objective of this work is to investigate the total phenolic, flavonoid and protein contents of a desi (ICC 3996) type and three kabuli (Seçkin, İnci and Hasanbey) types of chickpea seeds. Analyses were performed in extracts of 24 hours imbibed grains. The Folin Ciocalteu procedure was used to assess the total phenolic amounts while the total flavonoid content was measured with an aluminium chloride colorimetric assay. Total protein concentration was determined according to the Biuret method. Desi type exhibited the lowest protein content whereas İnci had the highest levels of total protein among kabuli types. Total phenolic content of desi type was significantly higher than other genotypes ( P ≤0.05). Seçkin showed lower flavonoid content than all other genotypes including the desi type. The results revealed that despite Turkish genotypes were richer in protein level, desi type was still valuable for its high total phenolic and flavonoid amounts.