Ready-to-eat chickpea flour purée or cream processed by hydrostatic high pressure with final microwave heating

•HHP (600 MPa and 50 °C) was used to develop a ready-to-eat chickpea flour product.•After HHP treatment, the CF product can be stored in refrigeration for two months.•The CF product would be purée or cream, depending on formulation and holding time.•The HHP-treated CF product can be heated quickly in microwave prior to consumption.

It was shown that high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) induces either starch gelatinization or protein aggregation in chickpea flour (CF) slurries. The aim of this work was to develop a new “ready-to-eat” semi-solid CF product by using HHP at 600 MPa and 50 °C for 15 or 25 min combined with final microwave heating prior to consumption. Eight combinations with a formulation that includes raw or toasted CF, with or without lemon juice, were evaluated using physicochemical (color and protein content, mechanical and rheological behavior), microbiological and sensory analyses. All the CF products were microbiologically safe and stable during two months at refrigerated storage. Mainly, the HHP-treated CF products differed in their texture depending on the CF used, the holding time and the presence of lemon juice, whereby each individual product could be classified as a CF purée or a cream. Moreover, all the formulations showed similar very high sensory quality.Industrial relevanceHHP at 600 MPa and 50 °C, applied for 15 or 25 min to chickpea flour (CF) slurries formulated with raw or toasted CF, water in which chickpeas had been cooked, extra virgin olive oil, soy milk, salt, and, optionally, lemon juice induced starch gelatinization (HHP-induced gelatinization) and microbiological preservation that was sustained for two months in refrigerated storage at 4 °C. After microwave heating prior to consumption, CF products with the rheology and texture characteristic of purée or cream were obtained. The development of these refrigerated gluten-free HHP-induced semi-solid CF products which can be given a quick final heating in a microwave oven would be commercially interesting and foreseeably successful, providing the catering industry and consumers with various new CF products with high protein content, thus also helping to increase consumption of pulses and their contribution to food and nutritional safety.