073: Impact of Long-Term Storage Conditions on Vitamin B Levels in Chickpeas

Introduction

Chickpeas are nutrient-dense legumes rich in B vitamins, vital for energy, DNA synthesis, and overall health. Consumption of chickpeas can help address vitamin B deficiencies, but proper storage is essential to maintain their nutritional value. The effects of storage conditions and duration on B-vitamin levels in chickpeas remain unclear. Therefore, the objective of the study was to evaluate the B-vitamin concentrations in chickpeas stored for 4 years under conditions typically used by pulse growers and handlers.

Methods

Chickpeas were stored in various conditions typical for storage, including bins (BIN) outdoors, an environmentally controlled warehouse (ECW), and a non-environmentally controlled warehouse (NECW). Temperature and relative humidity (RH) varied significantly across these environments: -30 to 41°C with 20 to 98% RH (BIN), -23 to 32°C with 25 to 84% RH (NECW), and 19 to 21°C with 50% RH (ECW) over four years. Vitamin extraction was performed using a quad-enzyme protocol with α-amylase, trypsin, protease, and rat serum. High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with gradient mobile phase and UV detection was used to quantify thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, and pyridoxine.

Results

The limits of detection (0.10–0.11 μg/100 g) and quantification (0.34–0.39 μg/100 g), and recovery rates of 90–95% supported an effective analytical approach. Storage conditions significantly (P ≤ 0.05) influenced B vitamin concentrations, with the greatest degradation under NECW conditions. Thiamine and folate were particularly sensitive to degradation. Thiamine (167–263 μg/100 g), riboflavin (438–732 μg/100 g), niacin (517–832 μg/100 g), pyridoxine (61–99 μg/100 g), and folic acid (24–63 μg/100 g) concentrations varied depending on storage. Overall, all storage conditions caused vitamin losses, with ECW stored samples having the lowest percentage reduction after 4 years compared to samples stored in BIN and NECW conditions.

Significance

The importance of storage practices for maintaining Vitamin B concentrations in chickpea was documented in this study. Despite inevitable declines over the 4 years, proper management can minimize B-vitamin losses by controlling temperature and relative humidity. The food industry benefits from having information about vitamin stability in stored chickpea, as this information is necessary when developing nutrient-dense foods.

Authors: Leyla KazemzadehPournaki, Clifford Hall, Atanu Biswas