VARIATION AND RELATIONSHIPS AMONG SOME NUTRITIONAL TRAITS IN SICILIAN GENOTYPES OF CHICKPEA (CICER ARIETINUM L.) CRISTINA PATANÈ 1 CNR Istituto per i Sistemi Agricoli e Forestali del Mediterraneo (ISAFOM), Sezione di Catania via Valdisavoia 5-95123 Catania, Italy Accepted for Publication March 17, 2005 ABSTRACT The chemical composition of several chickpeas originating from Sicily, compared with the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas genotype “ILC 484” and the Italian cultivar “Calia,” was determined. A large variability was ascertained for crude fiber (coefficient of variation [CV] = 29.3%), calcium (CV = 39.3%) and tannins (CV = 120.0%). The geno- type statistically affected all nutrient characteristics assessed, whose mean values were: (1) 100-seed weight 34.0 ± 3.3 g; (2) crude fiber 2.88 ± 0.8 g/100 g; (3) fat 6.0 ± 0.9 g/100 g; (4) total carbohydrates 62.0 ± 1.4 g/ 100 g; (5) ash 2.64 ± 0.2 g/100 g; (6) iron 4.50 ± 0.3 mg/100 g; (7) calcium 109.6 ± 43.1 mg/100 g; (8) magnesium 189.4 ± 18.5 mg/100 g; (9) potassium 1318.7 ± 95.6 mg/100 g; and (10) tannins 0.90 ± 1.1 g/100 g. An average energy value of 379.8 ± 6.2 kcal/100 g was computed. The wide variability ascertained for some chemical attributes such as crude fiber, tannins and Ca content, and interesting correlations observed among characteristics, such as the negative correlation between Fe and tannins or fiber, or the positive correlation between ash and Fe, suggest the possibility of identifying geno- types to be used in breeding programs for the improvement of chickpea quality in Sicily. INTRODUCTION Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) plays an important role in the human diet in several developing countries, as a good source of carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins and mainly proteins, with the last used as a substitute for animal protein. Chickpea seed has 40–60% carbohydrate, 1–5% crude fiber, 5–8% 1 Corresponding author. TEL: +39-095-234480; FAX: +39-095-234449; EMAIL: c.patane@unict.it Journal of Food Quality 29 (2006) 282–293. All Rights Reserved. © 2006, The Author(s) Journal compilation © 2006, Blackwell Publishing 282