Microfluidization-Driven Structural Reorganization and Functional Improvements of Whole Chickpea Flour

The increasing global demand for dietary protein has intensified the search for functional and sustainable plant-based ingredients. Chickpea flour is a promising candidate owing to its high nutritional quality and rich bioactive content. This study evaluated the use of microfluidization as a non-thermal strategy to enhance the physicochemical and functional properties of chickpea flour. Microfluidization induced particle fragmentation and led to protein denaturation, producing more irregular and porous surface morphologies. These structural modifications increased surface hydrophobicity, enhancing emulsifying and foaming capacities. Enhanced surface hydrophobicity also led to marked improvements in oil-holding capacity (up to 210% increase over control, after microfluidization at 200 MPa for three passes), likely due to stronger interactions with non-polar solvents. In parallel, microfluidization facilitated greater protein-water interactions, resulting in a 210% increase in protein solubility and 40% improvement in water-holding capacity after microfluidization at 200 MPa for one pass, compared to control. Increased surface area additionally contributed to higher in vitro protein digestibility (about 45% higher than control for all microfluidized samples) and the formation of a stronger network. Overall, these results demonstrate that microfluidization is an effective approach for improving the functional performance of whole chickpea flour, supporting its potential application in plant-based food systems.