Coloured chickpeas have more antioxidants than regular cream ones

Coloured chickpeas contain a significantly higher number of antioxidant qualities than the regular cream and beige ones, says a study.

Researchers from the Volcani Center in Israel examined 17 varieties of chickpeas, known to be high protein, ranging from black, red, brown, green, rubiginous, gray, yellow, and beige.

Principal investigator Dr Shmuel Galili found that coloured chickpeas contained up to 13 times more polyphenols, up to 11 times more flavonoids and up to 31 times more antioxidant activity than beige chickpeas.

Dr Galili said: "Darkness, yellowness, and high color intensity chickpeas contained more antioxidants. Given the functional food attributes of chickpeas, they might contribute significantly to the management of degenerative diseases."

The study, in the Journal of Food Science, has been published by the Institute of Food Technologists.