Techno-functional evaluation of the effect of fermentation by Lactobacillus plantarum on Fava bean (Vicia faba L.) flours

The Peruvian fava bean (Vicia faba L.) is used in Latin American cuisine as a source of protein and has been studied to expand its applications, still limited in the Brazilian food industry. This study aimed to produce and evaluate the techno-functional properties of flours from Peruvian fava beans of the peruanita type, with and without pre-processing by fermentation, targeting food applications. The beans were sourced from the Andean region of Peru, cleaned, sanitized with sodium hypochlorite (200 ppm/15 min), dried, and ground using a knife mill and blender. The resulting flour was standardized to 60 mesh. Part of it was used as a control (FC), while another portion was inoculated with Lactobacillus plantarum (10⁸ CFU/g), hydrated with water, and incubated at 30 °C for 24 h (F24) and 48 h (F48). After fermentation, the samples were dried (70 °C/12 h), ground, and standardized again to 60 mesh. All flours were analyzed in triplicate. Color differences were observed: FC showed a light beige color (L*=90.8; a*=1.1; b*=12.8), while F24 exhibited a light orange color (L*=73.8; a*=6.5; b*=24.2) and F48 a dark orange color (L*=69.7; a*=8.8; b*=25.6). According to Tukey’s test (p<0.05), the fermented flours, F24 and F48, had significantly higher water absorption values (3.13 and 3.27, respectively) compared to FC (2.4). For the other properties, no significant differences were found between the fermented flours, indicating that 24-hour fermentation was sufficient to achieve the modifications. Compared to FC, both F24 and F48 showed increased titratable acidity (0.11 g and 0.23 g lactic acid/100 g flour, respectively), along with reductions in pH, water solubility index, and oil absorption (6.8 and 4.59; 33.3 and 13.9; 2.57 and 2.05, respectively). The fava flours fermented with L. plantarum displayed distinct characteristics compared to FC, offering new possibilities as food ingredients with different properties.