Impact of Particle Size on the Physicochemical, Functional, and In Vitro Digestibility Properties of Fava Bean Flour and Bread

Fava beans, renowned for their nutritional value and sustainable cultivation, are pivotal in various food applications. This study examined the implications of varying the particle size on the functional, physicochemical, and <i>in vitro</i> digestibility properties of fava bean flour. Fava bean was milled into 0.14, 0.50, and 1.0 mm particle sizes using a Ferkar multipurpose knife mill. Physicochemical analyses showed that the 0.14 mm flour had more starch damage, but higher protein and fat contents. Functionality assessments revealed that the finer particle sizes had better foaming properties, swelling power, and gelation behavior than the coarse particle size. Emulsion capacity showed that for all the pH conditions, 1.00 mm particle size flour had a significantly higher (<i>p</i> < 0.05) oil droplet size, while the 0.5 and 0.14 mm flours had smaller and similar oil droplet sizes. Moreover, <i>in vitro</i> digestibility assays resulted in improved starch digestion (<i>p</i> ˂ 0.05) with the increase in flour particle size. Varying the particle size of fava bean flour had less impact on the <i>in vitro</i> digestibility of the bread produced from wheat-fava bean composite flour, with an average of 84%. The findings underscore the critical role of particle size in tailoring fava bean flour for specific culinary purposes and nutritional considerations.