Sensory evaluation of wheat bread supplemented with chickpea: The effect of the chickpea flour fermentation

This work examined the effect of kefir fermentation on the sensory characteristics and overall acceptability of composite breads, prepared by partially substituting wheat flour (WF) with chickpea flour (CF). Breads were formulated with WF, CF, or kefir-fermented chickpea flour (KCF) at a 25 % substitution level. A semi-expert panel conducted a descriptive sensory analysis, and untrained consumers performed a hedonic evaluation. The descriptive analysis indicated that both CF and KCF breads had a darker crust and crumb color compared to WF-bread. This was attributed to the inherent color of CF and KCF as well as the enhanced Maillard reactions. KCF-bread had smaller alveoli compared to CF and WF breads whereas the hardness was similar to both CF and WF breads. The fermentation process imparted a slight kefir flavor to the products and reduced the intensity of the characteristic chickpea aroma in KCF-bread but did not significantly affect the chickpea taste. In the hedonic evaluation, the majority of evaluators rated all breads positively, with scores predominantly above 6. The overall acceptability scores revealed that over 75 % of the evaluators rated the three bread samples as being of very good quality. Overall, it was found that kefir fermentation enhances the sensory characteristics of CF-bread, broadening the acceptability of this composite bread. This process may offer a viable approach to increasing legume flour incorporation in bread products while maintaining consumer acceptance.