Solid-state fermentation with Pediococcus pentosaceus overcomes gelation limitations of chickpea protein for gel and...

Chickpea, with its high protein content and neutral flavor profile, represents an attractive plant protein source. However, its utilization is limited by poor protein solubility, which restricts its functionality in gel and extrudate. Solid-state fermentation using two selected Pediococcus pentosaceus strains (P.p.12 and P.p.13) significantly enhanced chickpea protein functionality. Compared to unfermented sample, chickpea protein solubility increased from 46.13 % to 91.40 % (P.p.12) and 93.58 % (P.p.13) at pH 7.0. These structural modifications enhanced protein-protein interactions and improved the ability to form heat-set gel networks. Notably, the minimum protein concentration for gelling decreased from 14 % to 8 % (w/v), and the critical gelation temperature declined most markedly in P.p.13-fermented samples (from 87.83 °C to 62.23 °C). The content of disulfide bonds in the gel increased significantly, which improved the stability of the gel network structure. In extrusion applications, fermented proteins developed well-defined fibrous architectures of extrudates and enhanced toughness compared to unfermented samples. High-temperature rheological monitoring under extrusion-mimetic conditions demonstrated similar trends, with fermented systems maintaining elastic network integrity while unfermented samples exhibited brittle states. These findings demonstrate that solid-state fermentation effectively enhanced the gelation properties of chickpea protein, overcoming key techno-functional limitations for plant-based meat applications.