Comparison of chickpea cultivars: chemical composition, nutritional evaluation, and oligosaccharide content

Twenty cultivars of the yellow and black chickpea (Cicer ariethinum L.), grown in the same climatic area, were compared. The two groups of seeds did not differ in protein and ash content. Black seeds had the highest fiber content and the lowest percentage of nitrogen-free extract. Black seeds had almost double the content of α-galactosides as did yellow seeds. The ratio of sucrose to oligosaccharides was high in the yellow chickpea but equal in the black chickpea. Amino acid composition was almost uniform; all the seeds had methionine plus cystine as the first limiting amino acid. In vitro protein digestibility reached a mean value of 78% in the black seeds and 75% in the yellow seeds. The calculated protein efficiency ratio (C-PER) was similar and relatively low in all cultivars.