The effect of the concentration of batter made from Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) flour on the quality of a deep-fried snack

Batters made from Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) flour and containing 36-44% solids were used to prepare a spherically shaped deep fat-fried snack called boondi. The physical properties, such as colour and bulk density, chemical constituents such as moisture and fat content, and crispness were determined as was the sensory profile. Commercial samples of this popular snack were analyzed in a similar way. Boondi prepared with 40% solids in the batter had more desirable qualities such as uniformity, crispness and fried gram aroma. Those prepared from batters <40% solids were more porous, oily and less uniform in shape and gave rise to tear drop shaped boondi. At >40% concentration of solids boondi were more firm and less porous with a slight sandy note although the fat content was low. Principal component analysis revealed that among the six commercial samples three samples were found to be close to optimal quality while the other three were less satisfactory. Positive correlations were found for porosity, oily notes and fat content and negative correlations for firmness.