Sensory profiling and preference mapping of Australian puffed desi chickpeas

Puffed pulses have found popularity as ingredients in ready-to-eat breakfast foods, confectionary and snack formulations. With the global snack food market expanding rapidly, puffed chickpeas possess many desirable sensory attributes to meet the demand for healthy snacks. There is a paucity of knowledge on the sensory profiles and consumer acceptance of puffed desi chickpeas. Thus, the sensory profile of Australian puffed desi chickpeas using a trained panel is reported here, along with the results from a consumer test conducted in Australia. Results revealed that Australian puffed desi chickpeas are heterogeneous in their sensory attributes. The diversity of sensory properties reported suggests a good deal of genetic diversity, which will ultimately facilitate any attempts to meet consumer preferences through breeding or selection of ideal chickpea candidate lines. Preference mapping was used for the first time to identify the key drivers of liking for puffed chickpeas. Kyabra was identified with the highest overall liking. Results from the consumer sensory research revealed that puffing the Australian chickpea genotype, Kyabra, can deliver a positive sensory experience. This finding will provide pulse-breeders practical information about important sensory attributes of Australian puffed desi chickpeas that may have the greatest impact on consumer acceptability.