Partitioning of nutritional and bioactive compounds between the kernel, hull and husk of five new chickpea genotypes grown in Australia

Chickpea is the second-most grown legume crop world-wide; however, most chickpea genotypes are susceptible to drought and heat stress, limiting expansion of this crop beyond current growing regions. Consequently, this study evaluated the agronomic performance and phyto-nutritional content of five new genotypes of desi chickpea, grown under rainfed conditions in central Queensland, Australia. Four of the new genotypes showed significantly improved yield over PBA Drummond, while two showed higher protein content. The chickpea hull byproduct typically contained a higher total phenolic content (56-150 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/100 g) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (38-174 mg Trolox equivalents (TE)/100 g) compared to the kernel (TPC of 65-105 mg GAE/100 g and FRAP (44-62 mg TE/100 g); however, this was not true for every variety. The husk also contained high levels of phenolics and antioxidant activity, highlighting the potential of chickpea hull and husk for use as value-added byproducts, rather than being discarded. This study highlights the difference in byproduct phyto-nutritional value that exists between chickpea genotypes, indicating that these parameters should also be considered when selecting genotypes in breeding programs. Furthermore, it presents several new genotypes of desi chickpea which may be suited to cropping in drier, warmer environments.