Quality and microstructural analysis of chickpea-enriched wheat semolina pasta using X-ray micro-computed tomography

The microstructure of manufactured foods largely governs palatability qualities such as crunchiness, crispness, mouthfeel and texture. While enriching cereal flour with leguminous flour increases its nutritional value, it should not compromise the palatability of the end products. This study investigated the flour blend properties as well as the physical and microstructural characteristics of durum wheat semolina pasta enriched with 50% chickpea flour obtained from single-stage (Ferkar) and multi-stage (roller) mills. Results of the flour blend analysis indicated the influence of milling on the protein, ash and particle size distribution of pasta. High protein chickpea blend showed minimal impact on the microstructure of the pasta. Also, the textural analysis of the pasta samples showed that the hardness and firmness of pasta made with roller-milled flours, specifically reduction and straight-grade flours, were not statistically significantly different (p < 0.05). However, correlating the texture and total porosity indicated that flour from roller mill reduction rolls resulted in pasta with a firmer texture along with a more compact internal and external microstructure. The findings of this study provide useful insight into the quality attributes of chickpea-enriched wheat semolina pasta as influenced by the mill type and stream blend of the chickpea flour.