# Influence of Malted Chickpea on the Composition of Volatiles in Humans
## 1 Introduction  
Hummus is a dip or a spread produced from boiled chickpeas (_Cicer arietinum_ L.). It is known for its creamy texture, flavor, and versatility, traditionally consisting of a balanced combination of chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil [1]. However, due to the diversification of global culinary preferences, there is growing interest in exploring novel ingredients and preparation techniques, even in traditional food products, such as hummus [2]. As chickpeas are the primary ingredient in hummus, any modifications applied to them are expected to significantly influence the aroma of the final product. One widely used technique for modifying plant seeds is malting, which is primarily applied to cereals [3]. Malting involves controlled hydration, germination, and drying of the seeds, which significantly changes the flavor and aroma of the product. Recent studies have demonstrated that malting can also be applied to various legume seeds, such as beans and lentils, impacting both their aroma and the composition of various anintutritional factors (such as the content of phytic acid or raffinose family oligosaccharides) [4, 5]. During malting, various substances are released in the germinating seed, such as sugars or amino acids, which can then undergo so-called Maillard reactions during the drying stage of the malting and result in an increase of various flavor-active components present in the malted seed [6]. Additionally, during germination, certain enzymes, such as lipoxygenases, can transform various components of the seed into volatile compounds of diverse tastes and odor. One of the crucial reactions of these types is a chain of reactions that changestriglycerides into flavor-active aldehydes present in the malts [7]. Previous research about malting legumes (lentil seeds) has shown that malted legumes contain significantly different concentrations of volatiles than non-modified seeds [8]. However, the information about the use of legume seed malts in food production is actually very limited. Studies mainly concentrate on the technological properties of these malts. Current research about the uses of legume malts is mainly restricted to the use of legume malts in the brewing industry, which is not a typical technology where legume seeds are generally used.  
Additionally, analysis of the volatile composition of the fermented products concentrates mainly on the components produced through the process of fermentation, not on the volatiles introduced from the malt [9]. It seems that the interesting avenue of research suitable for the analysis of legume malts would be the branches of the food industry, which typically rely on the use of legume seeds, not on malts produced from grains. As the legume malts are significantly different in many aspects from the unmalted legume seeds, the investigation of the use of these malts in various branches of the food industry can be an interesting and promising avenue for future research. The choice of ingredients in hummus production is pivotal in determining its sensory attributes, particularly its aroma. Aroma, an integral component of flavor perception, relies on a complex interplay of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that emanate from the food matrix [2, 10, 11]. The volatile profile of hummus is influenced by several factors, including chickpea variety, processing methods, and ingredient proportions [12, 13, 14]. As mentioned before, malting significantly changes the odor of the seeds; therefore, malts produced from the chickpeas used as a hummus ingredient could contribute to unique product flavor [6, 7]. The goal of this study is to determine whether various chickpea malts (germinated by different lengths of time) and various contributions of the chickpea malt during hummus production can significantly change the aroma of the finished product.