Protein isolates from chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.):: chemical composition, functional properties and protein characterization

Two types of protein isolates were prepared from ground chickpea seeds by alkaline extraction, with (Isolate-B) and without (Isolate-A) sodium sulphite, and acid precipitation of the proteins at the isoelectric point (pI 4.3). The percentage of protein recovered from chickpea hour in the preparation of Isolates-A and B were 65.9 and 62.1%, respectively. Chemical composition, main functional properties and protein composition of chickpea hour and protein isolates were determined. Isolates-A and B contained 78 and 88.1% of protein, respectively, and had a balanced content of essential amino acids, with respect to the FAO pattern. The in vitro protein digestibility ranged between 95.6 and 96.1%. Isolate-A showed a partial dissociation of the 11S protein because of the high pH used for the protein extraction, and this probably explains the differences observed in the functional characteristics of both isolates. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.