Blending studies using wheat and lentil cotyledon flour-Effects on rheology and bread quality

Technological and Nutritional Aspects of Bread Production: An Overview of Current Status and Future Challenges

Bakery products, especially bread, exist in many homes worldwide. One of the main reasons for its high consumption is that the main raw material is wheat, a cereal that can adapt to a wide variety of soils and climates. However, the nutritional quality of this raw material decreases during its industrial processing, decreasing the value of fibers, proteins, and minerals. Therefore, bread has become a product of high interest to increase its nutritional value. Due to the high consumption of bread, this paper provides a general description of the physicochemical and rheological changes of the dough, as well as the sensory properties of bread by incorporating alternative flours such as beans, lentils, and soy (among others). The reviewed data show that alternative flours can improve fiber, macro, and micronutrient content. The high fiber content reduces the quality of the texture of the products. However, new processing steps or cooking protocols, namely flour proportions, temperature, cooking, and fermentation time, can allow adjusting production variables and optimization to potentially overcome the decrease in sensory quality and preserve consumer acceptance.

Effects of germination time on the structure, functionality, flavour attributes, and in vitro digestibility of green Altamura lentils (Lens culinaris Medik.) flour

There has been an increase in the use of adoptable bioprocessing methods for the development of high-quality leguminous ingredients. The potential use of germinated green Altamura lentils as a food ingredient is closely related to the resulting properties. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of three germination times - 0 (C), 24 (G) and 48 (H) hours - on the physicochemical, microstructural, flavour, functional, and nutritional features of lentil flour samples (CF, GF and HF). Lentil flour samples were obtained by grinding both whole green seeds (C) and germinated seeds (G and H), and then sifting them to obtain a particle size < 300 μm. The germinated samples - GF (24 h) and HF (48 h) - exhibited differences (P < 0.05) in the physicochemical and bioactive properties of CF (control). Similarly, compared with those in the control sample, the total starch, amylose and total phenolic contents in the GF and HF samples decreased, while the protein content increased (p < 0.05). A decrease in the presence of intact starch granules was observed via SEM in the germinated samples. The germination time had a significant (P < 0.05) effect on the colour indices, L*, a*, and b* of the samples. Flavour attributes were significantly influenced by the germination time. Overall, a total of 14 (CF) and 17 (GF and HF) aromatic compounds were identified. The technological characteristics of the CF, GF and HF dough samples were studied using a Brabender farinograph. Germination time affects the flour properties, leading to a significant decrease in farinographic parameters such as water absorption (WA), dough development time (DT), and dough stability (DS) and an increase in the degree of dough weakening (DOS). Differential scanning calorimetry was employed to examine the gelatinization transition of the samples. Germination strongly influenced all the thermal properties of the samples. It also had a significant impact on the in vitro starch digestibility, starch fraction and glycaemic index (eGI) of the samples. In particular, the eGI of germinated lentils was lower than that of the CF. In conclusion, the germination time could be a key factor modulating some crucial lentil flour properties.

Radio-frequency treatment of medium-gluten wheat: effects of tempering moisture and treatment time on wheat quality

BACKGROUND

Wheat and wheat flour are important raw materials of staple foods. Medium-gluten wheat is now the dominant wheat in China. In order to expand the application of medium-gluten wheat, radio-frequency (RF) technology was used to improve its quality. Effects of tempering moisture content (TMC) of wheat and RF treatment time on wheat quality were investigated.

RESULTS

No evident change in protein content after RF treatment, but a reduction in wet gluten content of the sample with 10-18% TMC and RF treatment for 5 min, was observed. By contrast, protein content increased to 31.0% after RF treatment for 9 min in 14% TMC wheat, achieving the requirement of high-gluten wheat (≥30.0%). Thermodynamic and pasting properties indicated that RF treatment (14% TMC, 5 min) can alter the double-helical structure and pasting viscosities of flour. In addition, the results of textural analysis and sensory evaluation for Chinese steamed bread showed that RF treatment for 5 min with different TMC (10-18%) wheat could deteriorate wheat quality, while the wheat (14% TMC) treated with RF for 9 min had the best quality.

CONCLUSION

RF treatment for 9 min can improve wheat quality when the TMC was 14%. The results are beneficial to the application of RF technology in wheat processing and improvement of wheat flour quality. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Sustainable Strategies for Increasing Legume Consumption: Culinary and Educational Approaches

Legumes are nutrient-dense crops with health-promoting benefits. However, several barriers are associated with their consumption. Emerging issues including food neophobic tendencies or taboos, unclear dietary guidelines on legume consumption, health concerns, and socio-economic reasons, as well as long cooking procedures, adversely affect legume consumption frequency. Pre-treatment methods, including soaking, sprouting, and pulse electric field technology, are effective in reducing the alpha-oligosaccharides and other anti-nutritional factors, eventually lowering cooking time for legumes. Extrusion technology used for innovative development of legume-enriched products, including snacks, breakfast cereals and puffs, baking and pasta, represents a strategic way to promote legume consumption. Culinary skills such as legume salads, legume sprouts, stews, soups, hummus, and the development of homemade cake recipes using legume flour could represent effective ways to promote legume consumption. This review aims to highlight the nutritional and health effects associated with legume consumption, and strategies to improve their digestibility and nutritional profile. Additionally, proper educational and culinary approaches aimed to improve legumes intake are discussed.

Physical, functional and sensory properties of bitter chocolates with incorporation of high nutritional value flours

Due to the growing demand for healthy food products, the industry is seeking to incorporate inputs with high nutritional potential to traditional products. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of incorporating Lepidium meyenii, Chenopodium pallidicaule, Amaranthus caudatus, Sesamum indicum and Salvia hispanica flours on the physical, chemical, rheological, textural and thermal characteristics, and the degree of sensory acceptance of dark chocolate bars (65% cocoa). To this end, chocolate bars were made with the incorporation of five flours in four doses (1, 2, 3 and 4%), obtaining 20 different formulations compared with a control treatment (without flour addition). It was found that as flour incorporation levels increased, viscosity, antioxidants and particle size of the chocolates increased, but hardness and pH decreased. The addition of the flours also affected the acceptability and microstructure of the chocolate bars. The incorporation of up to 4% of the flours studied improved the degree of acceptance of the chocolates. Consequently, the incorporation of grain flours with high nutritional value can enhance the characteristics of dark chocolates, becoming a technological alternative for the chocolate industry.

Production of oven-baked wheat chips enriched with red lentil: an optimization study by response surface methodology

Chips are the most common snacks in human diet and generally are produced by frying. However, due to their high carbohydrate, fat and salt content, they are considered as unhealthy snacks. In this study, it is aimed to develop red lentil enriched chips for use as a healthy and nutritious snack food. Due to the health concerns about high fat content of the fried chips, the samples were oven-baked instead of frying. Response surface methodology was used to investigate the effect of process parameters (red lentil flour ratio, baking temperature and time) on physicochemical, textural, nutritional, and bioactive properties of the chips. The samples were also evaluated in terms of taste, odor, crispness, and general acceptance by the panelists. The highest antioxidant capacity, total phenolic content and hydroxymethyl furfural content was achived with the sample supplememented with 50% red lentil flour and baked at the highest temperature and time used in the study (190 °C, 9 min). Red lentil flour supplementation increased protein and resistant starch content of the chips. The highest resistant starch content of the samples and lowest in vitro glycemic index value were achieved with the sample prepared with 50% red lentil flour supplementation. These results of this study proved that red lentil is a good source to be used for enrichment of oven-baked wheat chips as a novel snack food with high nutritional values and low in vitro glycemic index.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-021-05237-8.

Impact of Roasted Yellow Split Pea Flour on Dough Rheology and Quality of Fortified Wheat Breads

Roasted yellow split pea (YSP) flours were used to substitute wheat flour, at 10–20% (flour basis) in wheat bread formulations. Rheometry showed that roasted YSP flour addition increased elasticity and resistance to deformation and flow of the composite doughs, particularly at 20% substitution; instead, at 10% addition (either raw or roasted YSP flour), there were no effects on dough rheology and bread textural properties. Breads fortified with roasted YSP flour at levels >10% exhibited lower loaf-specific volume and harder crumb compared to control (bread without YSP flour). Moreover, only breads with 20% roasted YSP flour displayed a significantly higher staling extent and rate, compared to control, as assessed by large deformation mechanical testing and calorimetry (starch retrogradation) of crumb preparations. This formulation also showed a large increase in β-sheets and β-turns at the expense of α-helix and random coil conformations in protein secondary structure as assessed by FTIR spectroscopy. Roasting of YSP effectively masked the “beany” and “grass-like” off-flavors of raw YSP flour at 10% substitution. Overall, roasted YSP flour at the 10% level was successfully incorporated into wheat bread formulations without adversely affecting dough rheology, bread texture, and shelf-life, resulting in final products with a pleasant flavor profile.

Pulse Probiotic Superfood as Iron Status Improvement Agent in Active Women-A Review

Active women or women of reproductive age (15–49 years old) have a high risk of suffering from anaemia. Anaemia is not solely caused by iron deficiency, however, the approaches to improve iron status in both cases are greatly related. Improving the iron status of active women can be done by dietary intervention with functional food. This review aims to provide insights about the functional food role to increase iron absorption in active women and the potency of pulse probiotic superfood development in dry matrices. Results showed that the beneficial effect of iron status is significantly improved by the synergic work between probiotic and prebiotic. Furthermore, chickpeas and lentils are good sources of prebiotic and the consumption of pulses are related with 21st century people’s intention to eat healthy food. There are wide possibilities to develop functional food products incorporated with probiotics to improve iron status in active woman.

Overcoming bread quality decay concerns: main issues for bread shelf life as a function of biological leavening agents and different extra ingredients used in formulation. A review

As is widely accepted, the quality decay of freshly baked bread that affects product shelf life is the result of a complex multifactorial process that involves physical staling, together with microbiological, chemical and sensorial spoilage. In this context, this paper provides a critical review of the recent literature about the main factors affecting shelf life of bread during post-baking. An overview of the recent findings about the mechanism of bread staling is firstly provided. Afterwards, the effect on staling induced by baker's yeasts and sourdough as well as by the extra ingredients commonly utilized for bread fortification is also addressed and discussed. As inclusion/exclusion criteria, only papers dealing with wheat bread and not with long-life bread or gluten-free bakery products are taken into consideration. Despite recent developments in international scientific literature, the whole mechanism that induces bread staling is far from being completely understood and the best analytical methods to be adopted to measure and/or describe in depth this process appear still debated. In this topic, the effects induced on bread shelf life by the use of biological leavening agents (baker's yeasts and sourdough) as well as by some extra ingredients included in the bread recipe have been individuated as two key issues to be addressed and discussed in terms of their influence on the kinetics of bread staling. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Sourdough fermentation of whole and sprouted lentil flours: In situ formation of dextran and effects on the nutritional, texture and sensory characteristics of white bread

Exopolysaccharides produced in situ by lactic acid bacteria during sourdough fermentation are recognized as bread texture improvers. In this study, the suitability of whole and sprouted lentil flours, added with 25% on flour weight sucrose for dextran formation by selected strains during sourdough fermentation, was evaluated. The dextran synthesized in situ by Weissella confusa SLA4 was 9.2 and 9.7% w/w flour weight in lentil and sprouted lentil sourdoughs, respectively. Wheat bread supplemented with 30% w/w sourdough showed increased specific volume and decreased crumb hardness and staling rate, compared to the control wheat bread. Incorporation of sourdoughs improved the nutritional value of wheat bread, leading to increased total and soluble fibers content, and the aroma profile. The integrated biotechnological approach, based on sourdough fermentation and germination, is a potential clean-label strategy to obtain high-fibers content foods with tailored texture, and it can further enhance the use of legumes in novel foods.

Low Phytate Peas (Pisum sativum L.) Improve Iron Status, Gut Microbiome, and Brush Border Membrane Functionality In Vivo (Gallus gallus)

The inclusion of pulses in traditional wheat-based food products is increasing as the food industry and consumers are recognizing the nutritional benefits due to the high protein, antioxidant activity, and good source of dietary fiber of pulses. Iron deficiency is a significant global health challenge, affecting approximately 30% of the world's population. Dietary iron deficiency is the foremost cause of anemia, a condition that harms cognitive development and increases maternal and infant mortality. This study intended to demonstrate the potential efficacy of low-phytate biofortified pea varieties on dietary iron (Fe) bioavailability, as well as on intestinal microbiome, energetic status, and brush border membrane (BBM) functionality in vivo (Gallus gallus). We hypothesized that the low-phytate biofortified peas would significantly improve Fe bioavailability, BBM functionality, and the prevalence of beneficial bacterial populations. A six-week efficacy feeding (n = 12) was conducted to compare four low-phytate biofortified pea diets with control pea diet (CDC Bronco), as well as a no-pea diet. During the feeding trial, hemoglobin (Hb), body-Hb Fe, feed intake, and body weight were monitored. Upon the completion of the study, hepatic Fe and ferritin, pectoral glycogen, duodenal gene expression, and cecum bacterial population analyses were conducted. The results indicated that certain low-phytate pea varieties provided greater Fe bioavailability and moderately improved Fe status, while they also had significant effects on gut microbiota and duodenal brush border membrane functionality. Our findings provide further evidence that the low-phytate pea varieties appear to improve Fe physiological status and gut microbiota in vivo, and they highlight the likelihood that this strategy can further improve the efficacy and safety of the crop biofortification and mineral bioavailability approach.

Sensory and Physical Characteristics of Pan Bread Fortified with Thermally Treated Split Yellow Pea (Pisum sativum L.) Flour

Pulses, including peas, are a good source of protein, dietary fiber, folic acid, and iron and are reported to reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. However, pulse ingredients present a known challenge as they exhibit a grassy/beany off-flavor. Heat treatment in some cases can decrease this off-flavor. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of substitution of 20% split yellow pea (SYP) flour treated by Revtech thermal processing at 140 °C with 10% steam (RT10%) and without steam (RT0%) for wheat flour in bread on the sensory attributes, acceptability, nutrient composition, firmness, color, and pH. RT10% was more acceptable overall than bread with untreated pea flour (USYP) or RT0% as assessed by 110 consumers. Sensory attributes were defined and measured on 15-cm line scales by an 11 member trained panel. Attributes associated with RT10% included wheaty, sweet, and yeast aromas and wheaty flavor, whereas attributes associated with USYP and RT0% were pea and nutty aroma and flavor. Although firmness and dryness were higher in RT10%, the acceptability of the bread texture was not affected. This sample contained significantly higher protein and lower carbohydrate than the wheat sample. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Revtech (RT), a novel thermal process, when applied at 140 °C with steam to split yellow pea (SYP) flour successfully increased the acceptability of white pan bread fortified at 20% compared to bread fortified with RT 140 °C with no steam, and untreated SYP flours. This could be due to its association with wheaty aroma and flavor attributes rather than the pea aroma and flavor attributes of the other two breads.

Using Pulses in Baked Products: Lights, Shadows, and Potential Solutions

Nowadays, consumers are more conscious of the environmental and nutritional benefits of foods. Pulses-thanks to both nutritional and health-promoting features, together with their low environmental impact-satisfy the demand for high-protein/high-fiber products. However, their consumption is still somewhat limited in Western countries, due to the presence of antinutrient compounds including phytic acid, trypsin inhibitors, and some undigested oligosaccharides, which are responsible for digestive discomfort. Another limitation of eating pulses regularly is their relatively long preparation time. One way to increase the consumption of pulses is to use them as an ingredient in food formulations, such as bread and other baked products. However, some sensory and technological issues limit the use of pulses on an industrial scale; consequently, they require special attention when combined with cereal-based products. Developing formulations and/or processes to improve pulse quality is necessary to enhance their incorporation into baked products. In this context, this study provides an overview of strengths and weaknesses of pulse-enriched baked products focusing on the various strategies-such as the choice of suitable ingredients or (bio)-technological approaches-that counteract the negative effects of including pulses in baked goods.

Evaluation of the behaviour of unripe banana flour with non-conventional flours in the production of gluten-free bread

Gluten-free breads were developed by incorporating unripe banana flour in a blend of alternative flour/cassava starch, 45/50. A factorial design was applied to determine the simultaneous effect of percentage of unripe banana flour (2, 8, 15%) and the type of alternative flour (quinoa, oyster mushroom, yellow pea and lentil flour) on structural and colour properties of bread. Principal component analysis was used to evaluate the behaviour of the formulations from a comprehensive perspective. Three formulations, denoted as P8 (pea + 8% unripe banana flour), Q15 (quinoa + 15% unripe banana flour) and L15 (lentil + 15% unripe banana flour) exhibited the closest profiles to reference (wheat bread). Breads with oyster mushroom flour showed a profile significantly different from the rest of formulations. The interactions among the factors were significant for all studied properties and showed that the unripe banana flour fortification did not lead to proportional responses on the bread properties, but the behaviour of unripe banana flour in breadmaking relied on the percentage and the type of alternative flour used. The P8, Q15 and L15 exhibited high fibre content and carbohydrate content lower than the reference. In addition, P8 formulation can be classified as intermediate glycaemic index.

Genotype and environment effects on the chemical composition and rheological properties of field peas

BACKGROUND

The inclusion of pulses in traditional wheat-based food products such as bread, cakes, and pasta is increasing as the food industry and consumers are recognizing the nutritional benefits due to high protein, antioxidant activity, and good sources of dietary fiber of pulses. In all crops, including cereals, oilseeds, and pulses, variability in chemical composition is known to exist due to genetic differences and environmental effects. This study reports the effect of genotype and environment on seed composition and the rheological properties of field-pea genotypes for both field-pea flour and isolated starch.

RESULTS

Genotype had a significant effect on the chemical composition (protein, total starch, water-soluble carbohydrates, and phenolic compounds), the mean starch granule size, and rheological properties (peak viscosity, breakdown viscosity, final viscosity, peak time, and pasting temperature) of the field peas. The growing environment also had a significant effect on starch granule size, phytic acid, water-soluble carbohydrates, some phenolic compounds, and pasting characteristics of field peas. Genotype × environment (G × E) interactions were observed for protein, some phenolic compounds, and some pasting characteristics.

CONCLUSION

Genotype and the growing environment had a significant effect on the chemical composition and rheological properties of the field pea. The variability in composition and quality traits could be exploited through plant breeding and optimized agronomic practices to increase production of field peas with the desired quality traits. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.