Lactobacillus fermentation improved the nutrient value and hypoglycemic activity of chickpea milk

In this work, the effects of Lactobacillus fermentation on the nutrient content and hypoglycemic ability of chickpea milk were studied. Specifically, the fermentation of Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356 (LA) and Lactobacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum CICC 20279 (LP) reduced the contents of soluble sugar and protein in chickpea milk. But both single bacteria fermentation (SBF, LA or LP) and mixed bacteria fermentation (MBF, LA and LP) significantly increased the contents of some bioactive substances, such as dietary fiber, free amino acids, total polyphenols and total flavonoids. Moreover, LA fermented chickpea milk showed the best inhibition of α- glucosidase (highest inhibition rate up to 92.91%) and the MBF samples showed the best inhibition of α-amylase (highest inhibition rate up to 33.33%). In addition, free phenolics, conjugated phenolics, and total phenolics were all remarkably increased in chickpea milk after LA fermentation. The three types of phenolic compounds (free, conjugated, and bound) showed greater inhibition of α-glucosidase than α-amylase, and the conjugated phenolics exhibited the best inhibitory effects on both enzymes. From the results, Lactobacillus fermentation process may effectively improve the nutritional values and potential hypoglycemic activity of chickpea milk.
Keywords: Lactobacillus; chickpea milk; nutrient composition; hypoglycemic activity