Digestibility and Metabolomic Profiling of Camel–Chickpea Yogurt: Impact on Rheological and Bioactive Properties

• Chickpea extract improved rheology and texture of camel milk yogurt. • Enhanced antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities after in vitro digestion. • Metabolomics revealed distinct biochemical profiles in fortified yogurts. • Plant-based additive supports sustainable functional camel milk yogurt. . Camel milk (CM) yogurt is valued for its nutritional profile but faces processing challenges due to its unique protein composition, notably low κ‑casein and the absence of β‑lactoglobulin, which together lead to weak acid‑gel formation and fragile texture. This study investigated the effect of chickpea extract (with protein levels of 1.5% and 3%) on the characteristics of CM yogurt, comparing it with plain CM yogurt and bovine milk (BM) yogurt. Samples were evaluated after 1 and 15 days of cold storage for rheological, textural, antioxidant, and biological properties, as well as untargeted metabolomic profiles. Chickpea extract markedly influenced yogurt composition and functionality. The results show that chickpea addition significantly increased the protein content (from 4.4% in CM to 6.3% and 8.2% in CC1.5 and CC3.0, respectively) and improved the hardness (from 28.5 g in CM to 87.3–92.0 g in CC treatments) and apparent viscosity, with CC3.0 achieving values comparable to BM. Although the water‑holding capacity declined at higher chickpea levels (93.4% in CM vs. 17.9% in CC3.0 on post-fermentation day 1), the antioxidant activity increased obviously. After in vitro digestion, CC3.0 showed the highest DPPH (63.3%) and ABTS (77.6%) scavenging activity, as well as enhanced α‑amylase (65.5%) and ACE inhibition (42.6%). Untargeted metabolomic analysis revealed different clustering among yogurt treatments, signifying chickpea‑induced biochemical shifts. Overall, the incorporation of chickpea extract improved the structural, functional, and bioactive attributes of CM yogurt. These findings highlight chickpea extract as a promising natural additive for developing functional camel milk yogurt with enhanced texture, stability, and health-promoting activities.