Development and Optimization of Composite Flours from Wheat and Pretreated Legumes: A Functional, Nutritional, and Formulation-Based Study

The current research aimed to evaluate the potential of incorporating pulses into pre-processed local food crops. Germination and microwave heating were tested as pretreatments for legumes. Optimized novel composite flours of wheat and legumes were developed through fourteen experimental runs generated from three mixture components (pea, chickpea, and faba bean) using D-optimal mixture design, with three legumes supplementation levels (10,15 and 20%). Characterization of the legumes revealed that protein content, ash content, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activity were significantly influenced by the pretreatments, with notable enhancement observed during the germination process. Germinated faba bean emerged as the most effective legume, recording the lowest IC50 for the DPPH test (p<0.05) with a value of 0.01 mg/mL. The functional properties of the legume flours were also affected by the pretreatments. Characterization of the composite flour formulations indicated that the levels of legume supplementation, the type of pretreatment, and the legume variety significantly impacted flour color, total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, and the functional properties. These findings suggest that composite flours based on wheat and legumes, with up to 20% supplementation, can serve as a sustainable food-based strategy to enhance the nutritional quality of wheat flour.