Pea, Lentil and Chickpea Protein Application in Bread Making

The objective of the present study was to determine if wheat flour could be successfully substituted with lentil, pea, and chickpea (pulses) proteins in bread making and to study the characteristics of the breads produced. Results of the study showed that addition of pulse proteins affected bread mass volume, color and hardness. The highest bread mass volume (4.27 ± 0.07 mL/g) was obtained with the control (unsupplemented) bread. Mass volumes decreased at the 3% supplementation level for all supplemented breads and no significant differences (P>0.05) were observed between the pulse proteins. At the 6% and 9% supplementation levels, significant differences were observed between the mass volumes of the breads. Chickpea protein gave the highest mass volume at both the 6% and 9% supplementation levels (3.72 ± 0.21 and 3.84 ± 0.27 mL/g, respectively) followed by lentil protein (3.43 ± 0.19 and 3.43 ± 0.07 mL/g, respectively). Breads supplemented with pea protein generally had the lowest mass volume. Bread crumb and white became darker as supplementation level was increased and in the lentil supplemented bread, a greener color appeared at the 6% and 9% supplementation levels. Hardness of the bread white for all supplemented samples was close to the control at the 3% supplementation level but significantly increased at the 9% supplementation level. Overall, pea proteins had the most significant effect on bread hardness and mass volume whereas chickpea protein concentrate showed the greatest potential for use as an ingredient in bread making.