Enrichment of Cakes and Cookies with Pulse Flours. A Review

Abstract

Legumes are rich in protein, fiber, and minerals. Several studies have shown the health benefits of their consumption. For these reasons, interest in the use of legume flour in bakery products has grown in recent years. However, legumes have strong off-flavors that prevent their use in high percentages. Sweet flavors are able to mask these off-flavors, and thus sweet bakery products such as biscuits and cakes seem to be suitable items for enrichment with legume flours. In this review, we address the influence of the incorporation of legume flours in these products based on the incorporation percentages and flour characteristics, especially the protein content and particle size, as well as possible treatments to reduce the off-flavors. The effects of enrichment with legume protein concentrates or isolates, the use of these to replace eggs in cakes, and the potential of aquafaba (cooking liquid of legumes) are also addressed.