Steamed Chickpea Flour – Nutritious, Functional, Versatile

Formulators face many challenges bringing a new product to market. Not only must the food meet thresholds for flavor, texture, appearance, shelf life, etc., but today’s consumers are increasingly interested in knowing where their food comes from, and whether the ingredients used are good for them and sustainable for the world they live in.

Occasionally an ingredient comes along that ticks all of these boxes for formulators. Steamed Chickpea Flour (CP100-S) from GPC is one such ingredient. CP100-S is made from whole chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and is processed in a way that retains all the nutritional goodness in the whole chickpea, while eliminating the anti-nutritional factors and yielding an 18 month shelf life. Chickpeas are naturally low in calories, and rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, making CP100-S suitable for use in functional foods targeting weight management and satiety, as well as plant-based and high-protein diets.

In addition to being nutritionally dense, you will find CP100-S very easy to work with. CP100-S Steamed Chickpea Flour has proven to be a highly versatile flour suitable for use as an alternative to wheat flour in a wide range of gluten-free foods. You’ll be pleased to see how well it performs in breads, sweet baked products, pastries, pasta, pizza doughs, crackers, expanded snacks, and many other baked foods. The steaming process imparts a very low flavor profile, low enough for use in dairy analogs such as puddings and cheese sauce, or emulsions such as dressings and dips.

Due to the minimal amount of processing, CP100-S Steamed Chickpea Flour may be listed on the ingredient statement as “chickpea flour,” “whole chickpea flour,” or even “whole chickpeas.” When used as the primary flour in a food product, the term “chickpea flour” will often be first or second on the ingredient statement, aiding marketers with front of packaging labels, such as “good source of fiber” or “made with whole chickpeas.”   

New chickpea product launches between 2021 and 2022 increased almost 20% (Mintel, GPND) and rightfully so. It’s no wonder all the excitement in recent years around foods made from chickpeas has created a demand for growers to plant more acres. Food-grade chickpeas and other legumes are grown in abundant supply in the Northern Plains, where the plants serve to enrich the soil, reducing the need for farmers to apply nitrogen on their fields. All chickpea varieties are non-genetically modified organisms (non-GMO), and can even be grown and processed as certified organic.

With the abundant supply in hand, and with our Tech Services team ready with application support, GPC is excited to help you find success with CP100-S Steamed Chickpea Flour. Contact us today.