Abstract

This research was conducted to investigate the effect of sorting and dehulling postharvest practices on the pasting properties of flours of kabuli (Habru variety) and desi (local) chickpea and faba bean (local) grains. The legume samples were obtained from Hawassa University’s Agronomy section and prepared for the experiments. The pasting behavior of the flour samples was observed to be greatly influenced by separate and combined sorting and dehulling treatments. The pasting curve of the kabuli type chickpea was observed to be higher than that of the desi type and faba bean flours. The dehulling process had the highest influence on the pasting curves of the samples. The combined sorting and dehulling treatments improved the pasting characteristics of faba bean and desi chickpea flours to a greater extent, revealing the importance of the treatments for the preparation of these grains as ingredients for commercially processed food products.It was observed that the pasting curves of the treated flour samples were generally higher than the control samples. Sorting and dehulling separately and in combination can be used to improve the functionality of slurries or pastes prepared from chickpea and faba bean flours.

Key words: Pasting characteristics, viscosity, sorting, dehulling, chickpea, faba bean.