Abstract:Chickpea protein was used as the raw material in this experiment, and a series of chickpea protein hydrolysates (CPHs) with different degrees of hydrolysis (DHs) were prepared by double-enzyme digestion. Using the CPHs as the substrate, descriptive sensory analysis and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were employed to analyze and compare the flavor characteristics of flavor peptide products prepared from the model Maillard reaction system to identify the most suitable chickpea proteolytic system for the preparation of Maillard reaction peptides (MRPs). The results revealed significant differences in the sensory attributes and aroma components among MRPs prepared from CPHs with different DHs. Compared with other samples, the MRPs produced from CPHs with a DH range of 23.03~26.02% contained a large number of aroma compounds and showed an apparent meaty and umami taste with a long duration. Correlation analysis on the aroma substances, sensory evaluation data, and electronic nose data was conducted using partial least squares regression and the results further confirmed that the CPHs with a DH range of 23.03~26.02% is a desirable substrate for thermal reactions to produce MRPs.
