The potential use of chickpeas in development of infant follow-on formula

Inheritance of Resistance to Chickpea Fusarium Wilt Disease (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris Race 2) in a Wide-Cross Cicer arietinum × Cicer reticulatum Mapping Family

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is a major food legume providing high quality nutrition, especially in developing regions. Chickpea wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris) causes significant annual losses. Integrated disease management of Fusarium wilt is supported by resistant varieties. Relatively few resistance genes are known so there is value in exploring genetic resources in chickpea wild relatives. This study investigates the inheritance of Fusarium wilt resistance (race 2) in recombinant inbred lines (RILs) from a cross between a cultivated susceptible chickpea variety (Gokce) and a wild resistant Cicer reticulatum line (Kayat-077). RILs, parents, resistant and susceptible tester lines were twice grown in the greenhouse with inoculation and disease symptoms scored. DNA was extracted from dried leaves and individuals were single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyped. SNPs were placed on the reference chickpea genome and quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping was performed. Significant QTL regions were examined using PulseDB to identify candidate genes. The results showed the segregation of Fusarium wilt resistance conforming to a single gene inheritance. One significant QTL was found at the start of chromosome 8, containing 138 genes, three of which were disease-resistance candidates for chickpea breeding.

Legume-supplemented feed for children hospitalised with severe malnutrition: a phase II trial

Children hospitalised with severe malnutrition have high mortality and readmission rates post-discharge. Current milk-based formulations target restoring ponderal growth but not the modification of gut barrier integrity or microbiome which increases the risk of gram-negative sepsis and poor outcomes. We propose that legume-based feeds rich in fermentable carbohydrates will promote better gut health and improve overall outcomes. We conducted an open-label phase II trial at Mbale and Soroti Regional Referral Hospitals, Uganda, involving 160 children aged 6 months to 5 years with severe malnutrition (mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) < 11·5 cm and/or nutritional oedema). Children were randomised to a lactose-free, chickpea-enriched legume paste feed (LF) (n 80) v. WHO standard F75/F100 feeds (n 80). Co-primary outcomes were change in MUAC and mortality to day 90. Secondary outcomes included weight gain (> 5 g/kg/d), de novo development of diarrhoea, time to diarrhoea and oedema resolution. Day 90 MUAC increase was marginally lower in LF v. WHO arm (1·1 cm (interquartile range (IQR) 1·1) v. 1·4 cm (IQR 1·40), P = 0·09); day 90 mortality was similar (11/80 (13·8 %) v. 12/80 (15 %), respectively, OR 0·91 (95 % CI 0·40, 2·07), P = 0·83). There were no differences in any of the other secondary outcomes. Owing to initial poor palatability of the LF, ten children switched to WHO feeds. Per-protocol analysis indicated a trend to lower day 90 mortality and readmission rates in the LF (6/60 (10 %) and 2/60(3 %)) v. WHO feeds (12/71(17·5 %) and 4/71(6 %)). Further refinement of LF and clinical trials are warranted, given the poor outcomes in children with severe malnutrition.

Overview of the Incorporation of Legumes into New Food Options: An Approach on Versatility, Nutritional, Technological, and Sensory Quality

Consumers are more aware and demanding of healthy food options, besides being concerned with environment-friendly consumption. This paper aims to evaluate nutritional, technological, and sensory characteristics of legumes and their products' quality and versatility, considering potential applications in new food options. Legumes are foods that have a recognized nutritional group since they have high protein and fiber content. However, their consumption is still somehow limited for some reasons: in some countries it is not easy to find all the species or cultivars, they need an organization and planning before preparation since they need soaking, and there is the presence of antinutritional factors. Due to the different functionalities of legume proteins, they can be applied to a variety of foods and for different purposes, as grains themselves, aquafaba, extracts, flours, brans, and textured proteins and sprouts. These products have been inserted as ingredients in infant food formulations, gluten-free foods, vegetarian diets, and in hybrid products to reduce food costs as well. Foods such as bread, cakes, cookies, meat analogues, and other baked or cooked products have been elaborated with nutritional, technological and sensory quality. Further development of formulations focused on improving the quality of legume-based products is necessary because of their potential and protein quality.

Inheritance of Early and Late Ascochyta Blight Resistance in Wide Crosses of Chickpea

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is a globally important food legume but its yield is negatively impacted by the fungal pathogen Ascochyta blight (Ascochyta rabiei) causing necrotic lesions leading to plant death. Past studies have found that Ascochyta resistance is polygenic. It is important to find new resistance genes from the wider genepool of chickpeas. This study reports the inheritance of Ascochyta blight resistance of two wide crosses between the cultivar Gokce and wild chickpea accessions of C. reticulatum and C. echinospermum under field conditions in Southern Turkey. Following inoculation, infection damage was scored weekly for six weeks. The families were genotyped for 60 SNPs mapped to the reference genome for quantitative locus (QTL) mapping of resistance. Family lines showed broad resistance score distributions. A late responding QTL on chromosome 7 was identified in the C. reticulatum family and three early responding QTLs on chromosomes 2, 3, and 6 in the C. echinospermum family. Wild alleles mostly showed reduced disease severity, while heterozygous genotypes were most diseased. Interrogation of 200k bp genomic regions of the reference CDC Frontier genome surrounding QTLs identified nine gene candidates involved in disease resistance and cell wall remodeling. This study identifies new candidate chickpea Ascochyta blight resistance QTLs of breeding potential.

Formulation and Optimization of Complementary Food Based on Its Nutritional and Antinutritional Analysis

This study focuses on formulating and optimizing complementary foods using oat, yellow maize, chickpea, avocado pulp powder, and sugarcane Jaggery to obtain nutritious infant food. Different proportions of the composite food were optimized using Minitab v.19 software upon mixture design by keeping the constant amount of Jaggery (10%). The formulated composite foods had a better proximate composition, minerals, vitamins, and lower amounts of antinutrients. Most attributes have shown significant differences (p < 0.05) among those formulations. The better-optimized formulation is selected from nutritional and antinutritional values through overlaid contour design. The study concludes the optimal complementary food composition ratio: oat (40 g), chickpea (25.81 g), yellow maize (13.78 g), avocado powder (10.4 g), and Jaggery (10 g). Thus, the proposed formulated product becomes nutritious complementary food that may help children's and medium-age hold communities.

Quality and health dimensions of pulse-based dairy alternatives with chickpeas, lupins and mung beans

Health and environmental issues regarding dairy consumption have been highlighted in recent years leading to tremendous consumer demand for plant-based substitutes. In this review, we focused on quality and health dimensions of pulse-based dairy alternatives (PuBDA) using chickpeas, lupins and mung beans. Appraisal of existing documents show that there is limited information on PuBDA with the said pulses compared to similar materials such as soy and pea. Most of the studies focused on milk or fermented milks, either in full or partial substitution of the dairy ingredients with the pulses. Issues on stability, sensory properties, shelf life and nutritional quality were underlined by existing literature. Although it was emphasized in some reports the health potential through the bioactive components, there is scarce data on clinical studies showing actual health benefits of the featured PuBDA in this paper. There is also a scant number of these PuBDA that are currently available in the market and in general, these products have inferior nutritional quality compared to the animal-based counterparts. Technological innovations involving physical, biological and chemical techniques can potentially address the quality problems in the use of chickpeas, lupins, and mung beans as raw materials in dairy alternatives.

Alternatives to Cow’s Milk-Based Infant Formulas in the Prevention and Management of Cow’s Milk Allergy

Cow’s milk-based infant formulas are the most common substitute to mother’s milk in infancy when breastfeeding is impossible or insufficient, as cow’s milk is a globally available source of mammalian proteins with high nutritional value. However, cow’s milk allergy (CMA) is the most prevalent type of food allergy among infants, affecting up to 3.8% of small children. Hypoallergenic infant formulas based on hydrolysed cow’s milk proteins are commercially available for the management of CMA. Yet, there is a growing demand for more options for infant feeding, both in general but especially for the prevention and management of CMA. Milk from other mammalian sources than the cow, such as goat, sheep, camel, donkey, and horse, has received some attention in the last decade due to the different protein composition profile and protein amino acid sequences, resulting in a potentially low cross-reactivity with cow’s milk proteins. Recently, proteins from plant sources, such as potato, lentil, chickpeas, quinoa, in addition to soy and rice, have gained increased interest due to their climate friendly and vegan status as well as potential lower allergenicity. In this review, we provide an overview of current and potential future infant formulas and their relevance in CMA prevention and management.

Chickpea protein ingredients: A review of composition, functionality, and applications

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a pulse consumed all over the world, representing a good source of protein, as well as fat, fiber, and other carbohydrates. As a result of the growing global population the demand for the protein component of this pulse is increasing and various approaches have been proposed and developed to extract same. In this review the composition, functionality, and applications of chickpea protein ingredients are described. Moreover, methods to enhance protein quality have been identified, as well as applications of the coproducts resulting from protein extraction and processing. The principal dry and wet protein enrichment approaches, resulting in protein concentrates and isolates, include air classification, alkaline/acid extraction, salt extraction, isoelectric precipitation, and membrane filtration. Chickpea proteins exhibit good functional properties such as solubility, water and oil absorption capacity, emulsifying, foaming, and gelling. During protein enrichment, the functionality of protein can be enhanced in addition to primary processing (e.g., germination and dehulling, fermentation, enzymatic treatments). Different applications of chickpea protein ingredients, and their coproducts, have been identified in research, highlighting the potential of these ingredients for novel product development and improvement of the nutritional profile of existing food products. Formulations to meet consumer needs in terms of healthy and sustainable foods have been investigated in the literature and can be further explored. Future research may be useful to improve applications of the specific coproducts that result from the extraction of chickpea proteins, thereby leading to more sustainable processes.

Technological properties of chickpea (Cicer arietinum): Production of snacks and health benefits related to type-2 diabetes

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is one of the most consumed pulses worldwide (over 2.3 million tons enter the world market annually). Some chickpea components have shown, in preclinical and clinical studies, several health benefits, including antioxidant capacity, and antifungal, antibacterial, analgesic, anticancer, antiinflammatory, and hypocholesterolemic properties, as well as angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibition. In the United States, chickpea is consumed mostly in the form of hummus. However, the development of new products with value-added bioactivity is creating new opportunities for research and food applications. Information about bioactive compounds and functional properties of chickpea ingredients in the development of new products is needed. The objective of this review was to summarize available scientific information, from the last 15 years, on chickpea production, consumption trends, applications in the food industry in the elaboration of plant-based snacks, and on its bioactive compounds related to type 2 diabetes (T2D). Areas of opportunity for future research and new applications of specific bioactive compounds as novel food ingredients are highlighted. Research is key to overcome the main processing obstacles and sensory challenges for the application of chickpea as ingredient in snack preparations. The use of chickpea bioactive compounds as ingredient in food products is also a promising area for accessibility of their health benefits, such as the management of T2D.

Nutritional Composition, Antinutritional Factors, and Utilization Trends of Ethiopian Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Chickpeas are a very important legume crop and have an abundant amount of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, fibers, and mineral contents. Most of the time, breeders were focused on the yield and the disease resistance criteria parameters for releasing new varieties, but not that much attention is given to the nutritional quality and quantity aspect. So the objective of this review mainly focuses on giving some hints for breeders and nutritionists on nutritional profiles and effects of traditional processing of different Ethiopian chickpea varieties which may be used for variety selection for the new variety trial and new product development, respectively. Chickpeas have many bioactive compounds, important vitamins, and minerals. Besides having nutritional benefits, the consumption of chickpeas always requires some processing as they have many antinutritional factors. Various traditional processes such as soaking, cooking or boiling, germination, roasting, fermentation, and dehulling have their own effects on the availability of nutrients. Chickpeas are used to make many Ethiopian traditional chickpea-based food products such as nifro, kollo, shiro, dabo, mitad shiro, ashuk, boklet, kita, genfo, injera, and shimbra-asa by using different processing methods. Chickpeas have several potential health beneficial effects on some of the important human diseases like cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, digestive diseases, and cancers. This review summarized that different Ethiopian chickpea varieties have significant differences in the nutritional composition profiles between different varieties grown in Ethiopia and are an excellent source of micronutrients and macronutrients.

Nutritional and Functional Advantages of the Use of Fermented Black Chickpea Flour for Semolina-Pasta Fortification

Pasta represents a dominant portion of the diet worldwide and its functionalization with high nutritional value ingredients, such as legumes, is the most ideal solution to shape consumers behavior towards healthier food choices. Aiming at improving the nutritional quality of semolina pasta, semi-liquid dough of a Mediterranean black chickpea flour, fermented with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum T0A10, was used at a substitution level of 15% to manufacture fortified pasta. Fermentation with the selected starter enabled the release of 20% of bound phenolic compounds, and the conversion of free compounds into more active forms (dihydrocaffeic and phloretic acid) in the dough. Fermented dough also had higher resistant starch (up to 60% compared to the control) and total free amino acids (almost 3 g/kg) contents, whereas antinutritional factors (raffinose, condensed tannins, trypsin inhibitors and saponins) significantly decreased. The impact of black chickpea addition on pasta nutritional, technological and sensory features, was also assessed. Compared to traditional (semolina) pasta, fortified pasta had lower starch hydrolysis rate (ca. 18%) and higher in vitro protein digestibility (up to 38%). Moreover, fortified cooked pasta, showing scavenging activity against DPPH and ABTS radicals and intense inhibition of linoleic acid peroxidation, was appreciated for its peculiar organoleptic profile. Therefore, fermentation technology appears to be a promising tool to enhance the quality of pasta and promote the use of local chickpea cultivars while preventing their genetic erosion.

DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW METHOD OF PRODUCTION OF PROTEIN VEGETABLE PLANT NANO ADDITIVES USING PAROTHERMOMECHANODESTRUCTION PROCESSES

The aim of research is to develop a new method for the production of protein plant nanoadditives from dry chickpea in the form of nanopowders and nanopastes using the processes of steam thermo-mechanical destruction, leading to a high degree of mechanical destruction of biopolymers in separate constituent monomers, without destroying the latter. The new method is based on the use as an innovation of a complex effect on raw materials of steam-thermal treatment in modern steam-thermal devices (at a temperature of +70 °C) and non-enzymatic catalysis, which occurs when using fine grinding. The proposed method makes it possible to more fully reveal the biological potential of plant raw materials and transform hardly soluble, indigestible by the human body components of raw materials (in particular, cellulose, pectin substances, proteins and their nanocomplex and nanoassociates) into components that are easily absorbed by the body. The method makes it possible to more completely remove from the raw materials inactive bound forms of individual monomers of biopolymers, to reduce the molecular weight of biopolymers. At the same time, the efficiency of the resulting product increases significantly when consumed by the human body. New additives from chickpea are fundamentally different from traditional ones in properties and physicochemical state. The developed additives act simultaneously five in one: a source of essential amino acids and other biologically active substances, structure formers, gelling agents, thickeners and yellow dyes. The obtained protein supplements from chickpeas in combination with herbal Nanoadditives (from pumpkin, carrots, lemons, garlic, celery roots, ginger) were used as recipe components in the development of a new generation of confectionery products. The resulting confectionery products differ from the traditional ones in their low sugar and fat content (up to 5 %), high content of complete protein (from 13 to 20 %). In addition, 100 g of new products are able to satisfy the daily requirement for biologically active substances (β-carotene, phenolic compounds) and 0.5 daily requirement for vitamin C. The resulting products are natural, do not contain harmful impurities and exceed the quality of world analogues

Are Faba Bean and Pea Proteins Potential Whey Protein Substitutes in Infant Formulas? An In Vitro Dynamic Digestion Approach

Infant formulas (IFs) are used as substitutes for human milk and are mostly based on cow milk proteins. For sustainability reasons, animal protein alternatives in food are increasingly being considered, as plant proteins offer interesting nutritional and functional benefits for the development of innovative IFs. This study aimed to assess how a partial substitution (50%) of dairy proteins with faba bean and pea proteins influenced the digestibility of IFs under simulated dynamic in vitro digestion, which were set up to mimic infant digestion. Pea- and faba bean-based IFs (PIF and FIF, respectively) have led to a faster aggregation than the reference milk-based IF (RIF) in the gastric compartment; that did not affect the digesta microstructure at the end of digestion. The extent of proteolysis was estimated via the hydrolysis degree, which was the highest for FIF (73%) and the lowest for RIF (50%). Finally, it was apparent that in vitro protein digestibility and protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS)-like scores were similar for RIF and FIF (90% digestibility; 75% PDCAAS), but lower for PIF (75%; 67%). Therefore, this study confirms that faba bean proteins could be a good candidate for partial substitution of whey proteins in IFs from a nutritional point of view, provided that these in vitro results are confirmed in vivo.

odifying ntestinal Integrity and icro iome in Severe Malnutrition with gume-Based Feeds (MIMBLE 2.0): protocol for a phase II refined feed and intervention trial

Background: Changes in intestinal mucosal integrity and gut microbial balance occur in severe acute malnutrition (SAM), resulting in treatment failure and adverse clinical outcomes (gram-negative sepsis, diarrhoea and high case-fatality). Transient lactose intolerance, due to loss of intestinal brush border lactase, also complicates SAM, thus milk based feeds may not be optimal for nutritional rehabilitation. Since the gut epithelial barrier can be supported by short chain fatty acids, derived from microbiota fermentation by particular fermentable carbohydrates, we postulated that an energy-dense nutritional feed comprising of legume-based fermentable carbohydrates, incorporated with lactose-free versions of standard World Health Organization (WHO) F75/F100 nutritional feeds will enhance epithelial barrier function in malnourished children, reduce and promote resolution of diarrhoea and improve overall outcome.

Methods: We will investigate in an open-label trial in 160 Ugandan children with SAM, defined by mid-upper arm circumference <11.5cm and/or presence of kwashiorkor. Children will be randomised to a lactose-free, chickpea-enriched feed containing 2 kcal/ml, provided in quantities to match usual energy provision (experimental) or WHO standard treatment F75 (0.75 kcal/ml) and F100 (1 kcal/ml) feeds on a 1:1 basis, conducted at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital nutritional rehabilitation unit. The primary outcomes are change in MUAC at day 90 and survival to day 90. Secondary outcomes include: i) moderate to good weight gain (>5 g/kg/day), ii) de novo development of diarrhoea (>3 loose stools/day), iii) time to diarrhoea resolution (if >3 loose stools/day), and iv) time to oedema resolution (if kwashiorkor) and change in intestinal biomarkers (faecal calprotectin).

Discussion: We hypothesize that, if introduced early in the management of malnutrition, such lactose-free, fermentable carbohydrate-based feeds, could safely and cheaply improve global outcome by reducing lactose intolerance-related diarrhoea, improving mucosal integrity and enhancing immunity, and limiting the risk of systemic infection and associated broad-spectrum antibiotic resistance.

Registration:ISRCTN 10309022.

Effectiveness of supplementary blended flour based on chickpea and cereals for the treatment of infants with moderate acute malnutrition in Iran: A randomized clinical trial

Background

Despite the decreasing rate of under nutrition children in recent years overall, the negative affect in growth and development make it as a main concern in the world. Applying an available and appropriate supplementary food is a major approach in treating children with Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM).

Objective

To compare the effectiveness of a new supplementary blended flour (containing chickpea, rice, wheat and barley, named Shadameen) in combination with multivitamin/mineral supplement and nutritional counseling versus multivitamin/mineral supplement and nutritional counseling alone, in the treatment of children with MAM.

Methods

This randomized controlled trial study was conducted at Heshmatiyeh Hospital in Sabzevar city in Iran, from January 2016 to December 2016. Seventy infants, aged 9 to 24 months with MAM who were referred from urban health centers to the hospital clinic were included. They were randomly assigned to receive, for about 3 months, either multivitamin / mineral supplement and nutritional counseling alone or in combination with an extra supplementary blended food. We analyzed weight, length, weight for length Z score (WLZ), weight for age Z score (WAZ) and length for weight Z score (LAZ), along with recovery rate and adverse events among the two groups. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 16. We used statistics, Chi-square, independent t-test, and Fisher’s exact test for the analyses of primary and secondary outcomes.

Results

The food supplementation infant’s mean weight and WLZ and WAZ were greater compared with the other group (0.81±0.29 gr and 0.55±0.33 gr, p=0.002), (0.36±0.36 and 0.02±0.52, p=0.003), (0.40±0.33 and 0.09±0.37, p=0.001). The recovery rate in the food supplemented group was significantly higher than the other group (68.4%, 31.6%, p=0.001). No adverse reactions were observed. There were no significant differences in LAZ at the end of the study between the two groups (p=0.53).

Conclusion

This study showed that Shadameen in combination with multivitamin/mineral and counselling therapy can be more effective in decreasing the wasting rate of children with MAM than vitamin/mineral and counseling therapy alone.

Trial registration

The trial was registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (http://www.irct.ir) with the Irct ID: IRCT2015040921670N1.

Funding

This study was financially supported by the vice chancellor for research office, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences.

Welfare impacts of improved chickpea adoption: A pathway for rural development in Ethiopia?

We analyse the impact of improved chickpea adoption on welfare in Ethiopia using three rounds of panel data. First, we estimate the determinants of improved chickpea adoption using a double hurdle model. We apply a control function approach with correlated random effects to control for possible endogeneity resulting from access to improved seed and technology transfer activities. To instrument for these variables we develop novel distance weighted measures of a household's neighbours' access to improved seed and technology transfer activities. Second, we estimate the impact of area under improved chickpea cultivation on household income and poverty. We apply a fixed effects instrumental variables approach where we use the predicted area under cultivation from the double hurdle model as an instrument for observed area under cultivation. We find that improved chickpea adoption significantly increases household income while also reducing household poverty. Finally, we disaggregate results by landholding to explore whether the impact of adoption has heterogeneous effects. Adoption favoured all but the largest landholders, for who the new technology did not have a significant impact on income. Overall, increasing access to improved chickpea appears a promising pathway for rural development in Ethiopia's chickpea growing regions.