Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Chickpea Proteins and Their Functional and Technological Properties

Research background. Chickpea is a very good source of protein for the development of protein-enriched plant-based ingredients. Chickpea protein isolates are primarily obtained by wet extraction methods such as alkaline or salt extraction. The energy input required for the production of chickpea protein isolates can have an impact on both the environment and processing, thus affecting nutritional quality and human health. Therefore, further research is needed to develop mild processing techniques for the isolation of chickpea proteins. Experimental approach. In this study, with the aim of developing a more efficient and effective method, chickpea proteins were isolated by ultrasound-assisted extraction and the process parameters were optimised using the Box-Behnken design. Results and conclusions. Under the optimal extraction conditions (solid/solvent ratio 13.42 g/100 mL, pH=8.8, extraction time t=10 min, ultrasound amplitude 70 %), the highest extraction yield was obtained, 66.1 % with ultrasound-assisted extraction and 55.1 % with the conventional alkaline method. When comparing the ultrasound-assisted method with the conventional alkaline method, it was found that a higher protein isolation yield was obtained with a 6-fold shorter processing time and a 29-fold lower energy consumption. Moreover, it was found that the water/oil absorption properties of the protein isolate obtained by the ultrasound-assisted method increased and its foaming properties improved. Novelty and scientific contribution. This research presents a feasible ultrasound-assisted extraction technique for the isolation of chickpea protein, which can then be used as a versatile ingredient in the food industry.