Biostimulants for Sustainable Food Production: Effects of Wood Distillate to Fortify Chickpea Flour for Development of Functional Bakery Products

In recent years, chickpea flour has been incorporated into various food products for improving their protein content and nutritional values. Based on the ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy, the need for the reduction of chemical pesticides is pushing the use of biobased products for cultivation. Wood distillate (WD), a byproduct of woody biomass pyrolysis, has emerged as a biostimulant with positive effects on crop yield and quality. To achieve functional bakery products with improved antioxidant capacity enriched with proteins, we use flour from WD-treated chickpeas. WD treatment significantly increases the content of polyphenols and proteins, such as vicilin- and legumin-like proteins. After a simulated gastrointestinal digestion of the biscuits, the released peptides are analyzed. An improved number of peptides (460) released by WD-treated chickpea flour cookies has been detected compared with the control (286). Chickpea flour from a biostimulated plant offers a new perspective for the production of nutritionally enriched bakery products.