The total equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) also showed a significant variation among flours depending more on the plant species rather than the commercial brand, as no significant differences were detected regarding this factor. The TEAC values ranged from 8.69 nmols for soybean to 1.08 nmols for Trolox per 100 g of pea. Soybean showed the highest statistically significant values of TEAC, followed by hemp and chickpea which did not show significant differences between them, while rice and pea showed the lowest values without statistically significant differences between them. As antioxidant activity can be measured by different methods, the results of the ABTS methods in the bibliography are scarce, although in general, higher values were reported [85; 90]. This can be related to the fact that the bioactivity depends on the extraction and assay conditions, and the lack of standardization in these methods can make comparisons difficult [91]. However, previous studies have pointed out that soybean and hemp have a higher antioxidant capacity than peas, as observed in these commercial flours [73; 75]. Indeed, hemp showed higher DPPH values than wheat, which means that this species has a higher antioxidant capacity than cereals, as has been observed in this study in rice [3]. Other studies also found that chickpea has a higher antioxidant activity, measured by FRAP and ORAC methods, than rice [87], which is in agreement with the results obtained in this study for the ABTS method. As previously mentioned, the highest antioxidant activity and the highest phenolic content (Table 3) were observed in soybean flour. Then, the Pearson correlations between phenolic groups and ABTS were subsequently calculated. A positive correlation between the ABTS and TPC was observed (r\({}^{2}\) = 0.935, \(p\) < 0.01), agreeing with previous reports by [PERSON] et al. [2], and also between the TFC and ABTS (r\({}^{2}\) = 0.652, \(p\) < 0.05). Phenolic compounds are known to interact with proteins to form complexes that, in turn, decrease the solubility of proteins and make protein complexes less susceptible to proteolytic attack than the same proteins in isolation [92]. Furthermore, they impair starch and disaccharide assimilation and interact with proteolytic enzymes to inhibit their activity. Then, the lower TPC content of some flours may result in greater protein bioavailability, because the total phenols include tannins and phenolic acids, which can affect the overall digestibility of pulse flour [93]. However, plant phenolics are attracting increased interest owing to their potential role as protective factors against free-radical-mediated pathologies, such as cancer and atherosclerosis in humans [94]. Indeed, phenolic compounds have a multitude of physiological functions such as anti-inflammatory and cardioprotective activity [95]. Owing to their intrinsic antioxidant activity, they are commonly used as food additives for the protection of food products against oxidation [96]. Knowledge of the biological activities of these plant chemicals is continually growing; they have the potential to play a preventative role in inflammatory conditions and the metabolic syndrome, as has been highlighted in several reviews [23; 97; 98]. The results presented in this study demonstrate the potential of incorporating such flours into cereal-based foods to increase the level of these beneficial plant chemicals in the diet. This was shown by [PERSON] et al. [28], who used a wheat-pulse flour composite to increase the nutritive value of semolina pasta; a significant increase of 18% in antioxidant activity (ORAC) was observed. Similarly, [2] used wheat-pulse flour composites in the formulation of unleavened crackers. The authors reported an increase of up to 182% in antioxidant activity (DPPH).