Abstract:
Chickpea is an important source of plant protein. Due to presence of the abundant
amount of essential amino acid, addition of chickpea flour into cereal-based products will
provide well balanced protein to human diet. The objective of this study was to develop
yellow alkaline noodle using chickpea flour. The study included determination of
physicochemical properties and nutritional values as well as sensory acceptability of
noodles made from chickpea flour. Chickpea noodles were formulated by substituting
bread flour at levels of 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 percent of chickpea flour. The steps
involved in making these noodles include mixing, compressing, resting, sheeting, cutting,
boiling, rinsing and draining as well as oiling. Physical analysis was carried out to
determine colour and texture profiles. Noodle lightness (L *) and texture attributes which
were instrumentally characterized starts to diminish as the amount of chickpea flour
increases. Chemical compositions of cooked noodles were determined on wet weight
basis of the samples. Moisture content increases as the substitutions increase. Inclusion
of chickpea flour confers higher contents of ash, crude fat, crude protein and crude fiber
to the noodles. Carbohydrate content of noodles decreased when substitution levels
increased. Sensory evaluation was executed using 40 panels to determine the
acceptability of noodles made of chickpea flour. The results revealed that addition of
chickpea flour up to 40 percent were not significantly different to noodles made with 100
percent bread l1our for all sensory properties except for colour and elasticity of the
product. Study implies that enrichment of noodles with 20 to 40 percent of chickpea flour
could potentially produce noodles with favourable characteristics.
