Chickpea cooking water: a by-product for sustainable tailored food applications

Global concerns regarding the consumption of animal products have led to an increase in the consumption of plant-based products and legumes. Legumes need to be cooked, resulting in a large waste of cooking water. This study investigates the techno-functionalities of chickpeas cooking water, named aquafaba (AF), and its application to develop more sustainable foods. Aerated, plant-based, allergen free products have been produced with AF as an alternative to egg whipping agents. Two AFs were produced (AF1, less severe cooking conditions; AF2 more severe cooking conditions) and characterized (e.g., viscosity, density, protein, overrun and foams air bubble distribution and stability). The effect of sugar and lactic acids (LA) addition was investigated. Two aerated plant-based products were developed: solid-like foam (meringue, M) and liquid-like foam (marshmallow cream, MC). Moisture, water activity and texture of the new products were compared with egg white (EW)-based products. AFs and chickpeas protein patterns are noticeably different, suggesting a selective extraction. AF concentration significantly (p≤0.05) affected overrun, which decreased from 850 (AF1) to 772% (AF2) and bubble size distribution (AF2 resulted finer and more stable). For AF1, the addition of sugar lowered overrun (32%) and increased the number of small bubbles leading to a higher foam stability (22%). LA addition increased AF1 overrun (44%) and bubble dimension improving M height and texture creating a better structured product even in comparison to EW-M. AF2-MC had a higher density compared with EW-references and resulted in a slightly lower consistency. This study provides valuable insights into AF foaming properties and the influence of common ingredients on it. AF resulted suitable for sustainable, plant-based, aerated food applications of interest for target consumers (e.g., allergic to egg and vegans). These outcomes can contribute to innovate the food industry.