Functional, Pasting and Physical Property of Wheat, Orange Flesh Sweet Potato and Chickpea Flour

Background and Objective: Bakery products traditionally rely on wheat flour, but growing health consciousness has spurred demand for gluten-free options. Chickpea and Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) flours offer promising alternatives with enhanced nutritional profiles. The objective of this study is to characterize the functional, pasting and physical properties of Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP), chickpea and wheat flour to evaluate their potential as gluten-free alternatives in bakery products. Materials and Methods: This study determined the functional, pasting and physical properties of three types of flour: Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP), chickpea and wheat. A comprehensive analysis was conducted to characterize these properties, utilizing statistical analysis through ANOVA (p<0.05) to determine significant differences among the flours. Results: Chickpea flour demonstrated superior water (2.21 g/g) and oil absorption (1.03 g/g), alongside higher water solubility (25.41%) compared to wheat and OFSP flours. The OFSP flour showed greater dispersibility, bulk density (0.74 g/mL) and tapped density (0.87 mL/g). Wheat flour retained 50% on a 0.1 mm sieve, indicating finer particles and exhibited higher viscosities (2453.33 cp) and longer peak times (6.27 min) than chickpea and OFSP flours. Significant differences were also observed in color properties across the flours. Conclusion: This study highlights chickpea and OFSP flours as effective gluten-free alternatives in bakery products, enhancing nutritional profiles and demonstrating their versatile applications.