PRELIMINARY DEVELOPMENT OF A FERMENTED VEGETABLE BEVERAGE MADE FROM CHICKPEA FLOUR

Plant-based beverages are an alternative for consumers avoiding dairy or with milk allergy or intolerance. The most common vegetal beverages are made from soy, oats, almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, peas and coconut. These options pose a problem for people who are allergic to these plants or who dislike their taste, leading to the recognition of the potential to use chickpeas as a plant-based source. With approximately 25% protein and when combined with fermentation, this plant can also serve as a source of prebiotics and probiotics, which aid in weight management and support the immune system. Thus, the objective of this study was to develop a fermented plant-based beverage made from chickpea flour and to evaluate preliminary results related to the characteristics of the raw material and the final product. Two commercial chickpea flours were evaluated, from Giroil and Paitá brands, one heat-inactivated and the other non-heat-inactivated, respectively. The following parameters were evaluated: moisture content, water activity, color (LabHunter) and phenolic compounds (Folin-Ciocateu). Subsequently, four formulations containing approximately 3% protein, with and without added sugar, were prepared using the two flours. The beverages were fermented with Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus cultures, monitoring the decrease in pH to 4.6, in addition to evaluating pH and syneresis during refrigerated storage. The inactivated flour had lower moisture content (7.06%) and water activity (0.445), with a slightly lighter color and a phenolic compound content 22.7% higher than the non-inactivated flour. All fermented formulations reached a pH close to 4.6 after approximately three hours of fermentation and developed a firm, curd-like consistency. During storage, the fermented beverages exhibited a gradual decrease in pH, indicating sustained lactic acid bacteria activity, while the non-fermented formulations showed a drop in pH only during the final stages of storage, suggesting microbiological spoilage. Syneresis remained constant throughout the evaluation period, even without the use of thickeners. The results demonstrated the feasibility of formulating a fermented plant-based beverage using chickpea flour. However, the protein concentration used resulted in an excessively firm texture, needing recipe optimization to obtain a product with more suitable sensory characteristics.