# Influence of Malted Chickpea on the Composition of Volatiles in Humans
## 2 Results and Discussion
(2024) [38] demonstrated that heptanol levels could either decrease or increase during germination, though the effect was variety-specific and was not measured across different germination durations. Another volatile compound detected in hummus was 1-octen-3-ol, an alcohol characterized by undesirable 'beany' off-flavor; however, it is detected at a concentration of at least 100 ppb. Hummuses from the malted chickpeas contained a maximal 34.09 ppb of this alcohol, while 0D contained 12.37 ppb; therefore, changes to the level of this component due to the use of malted chickpeas in the hummus production should not deteriorate the aroma of the finished product [39]. The ketone 6-metyl-5-hepten-2-one, known for its fruity odor, has been previously detected in various legume seeds [40; 41; 42]. However, there is currently no consensus on whether the germination process increases or decreases its concentration [40; 43]. In the analyzed hummuses, 4D and 5D contained the highest levels of this compound, followed by 0D, while 1D, 2D, and 3D exhibited the lowest concentrations. The concentration of 2-pentylfuran in 5D was five times greater than in 0D, whereas 1D, 2D, and 3D contained lower levels of this compound. This again suggests that chickpea malts germinated for 24-72 h exhibit significantly lower enzymatic activity than chickpea malts germinated for 96-120 h. Since 2-pentylfuran, which contributes a beamy flavor, is primarily formed from linoleic acid lipoxygenase activity, its increased presence in longer germinated samples supports this hypothesis [44]. The concentration of 2-ethyl-3-methyl pyrazine followed a pattern similar to that of 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, with the highest levels observed in 4D and 5D. However, unlike 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, the concentration of 2-ethyl-3-methylpyrazine in 1D was lower than in 0D. The discrepancy may be difficult to explain, as 2-ethyl-3-methylpyrazine, unlike 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, is a key aroma-active compound found in tahini paste [45]. Octanal, which has a'soapy' and 'fatty' aroma [46], exhibited similar concentrations in 0D and 1D but decreased significantly in 2D. In contrast, its concentration in 4D was three times higher than in 0D, while in 5D, it was over five times higher. Research by [PERSON] et al. (2022) [43] has shown that germination generally increases octanal concentration in legume seeds. The concentration of 2-ethyl-1-hexanol remained similar across most samples, except for 1D, which had the lowest concentration. This alcohol, characterized by a rose-like aroma, is typically produced in the later stages of the chickpea development as a phytochemical with antifungal properties against _Fusarium_[47; 48]. 3-Octen-2-one, another compound produced through oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, was most abundant in 5D, where its concentration was twice as high as in 0D [39]. Similarly, 1D, 2D, and 3D contained lower levels of this compound compared to 0D. A comparable trend was observed in benzeneacetaldehyde, with the highest concentrations detected in 4D and 5D and the lowest detected in 1D, 2D, and 3D. Benzeneacetaldehyde can be formed via the Strecker degradation pathway, Maillard reactions, or the oxidation of free fatty acids. Due to the complexity of these pathways, it is difficult to determine which precursor was in the lower concentration in the hummus samples [49; 50; 51]. However, these findings strongly suggest that 1D, 2D, and 3D exhibited lower enzymatic activity compared to the other samples. \(\beta\)-Ocimene was the only terpene detected in the prepared hummuses. The highest concentration was found in 0D, while all hummus samples prepared from malted chickpeas contained lower amounts. This terpene is naturally present in the legume seeds and may function as an insect repellent, which could explain its higher concentration in the hummus prepared from the unmalted chickpea [52; 53]. 1-Octanol, an alcohol with an oily, aldehyde odor, can be generated through lipoxygenase enzyme activity [39; 54].