Physicochemical properties and volatile components of pea flour fermented by Lactobacillus rhamnosus L08

Pea (Pisum sativum L.) is an important source of plant proteins. However, the use of pea flour as a food ingredient is greatly limited due to its strong beany flavor. In this work, we investigated the effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus L08 (L. rhamnosus L08) fermentation on the physicochemical characteristics, amino acids composition and volatile flavor compounds of pea flour. We found that L. rhamnosus L08 had the probiotic potential of utilizing pea flour as fermentation substrate. L. rhamnosus L08 fermentation significantly increased the content of most amino acids, and total amino acid content increased from 222.18 mg/g at 0 h to 262.35 mg/g at 6 h. A total of 44 volatile compounds were identified in pea flour. L. rhamnosus L08 fermentation increased the variety of acids and esters, while reduced the unpleasant flavor such as nonanal, decanal, octanal, 1-hexanol and 2-ethyl-1-hexanol. The emulsifying stability and foam stability of pea flour were slightly enhanced during fermentation. Our results illustrate that lactic acid bacteria fermentation is a promising approach to eliminate undesirable aroma of pea flour. Moreover, this study provides theoretical support for the application of peas as high-quality protein source.