Assessing the culinary qualities of a shortcrust pastry food model: Impact of the chemical and functional characteristics of legume flours

In Europe, legume consumption remains below recommended levels, and local production systems need to be developed to help improve human health and bolster the fight against global warming. A gastronomic approach provides an original way of showcasing legumes while also highlighting their main functional and sensory qualities. This study focused on five legumes—white beans, red beans, chickpeas, green lentils, and lupins —that were untreated or thermally treated and processed into flours. Professional chefs were asked to create a legume-based shortcrust pastry recipe, which was subsequently simplified into a food model with fewer ingredients to minimize ingredient interactions. The chemical composition and functionality of the flour were assessed, along with the dough texture and the final textural and sensory qualities of the shortcrust pastries. The flours differed significantly in chemical composition, water/oil absorption capacity, particle size, and color (p-value <0.05). Consequently, marked variation was seen among the different legume-based shortcrust pastries. Fiber content was positively associated with both flour water absorption capacity and dough hardness, resulting in crumbly shortcrust pastries. Shortcrust pastries made with lupin flour had very different characteristics than shortcrust pastries made with the other legume flours, due to pronounced differences in fibre, protein, and lipid contents. Additionally, using flours made from thermally treated legumes significantly decreased shortcrust pastry hardness. Instrument-based textural results were confirmed through sensory analysis. The food model can help predict how the chemical characteristics of legume flours affect shortcrust pastry culinary quality. This knowledge can orient legume use in specific food applications.