Sprouting improves the bread-making performance of whole wheat flour (Triticum aestivum L.)

Replacement of Native with Malted Triticale (x Triticosecale Wittmack) Flour in Dry Pasta: Technological and Nutritional Implications

The use of native and malted triticale (MT) flour in dry pasta has been limited despite the potential of triticale in cereal-based food production. In this study, triticale-based dry spaghetti with increasing levels of substitution (0, 25, 50, and 75 g/100 g w/w) of MT flour were formulated and analyzed. Samples were analyzed for technological and nutritional traits, including the in vitro starch and protein digestions. The gradual substitution of native triticale flour with MT increased (p < 0.05) the total dietary fiber content, whereas total starch decreased (p < 0.05). Adding MT flour increased the cooking loss and the stickiness of cooked pasta (p < 0.05). Using MT flour modulated the in vitro starch digestion, lowering the slowly digestible and resistant starch contents. The in vitro protein digestibility was positively affected using MT at the highest substitution level. Overall, MT could be used to formulate dry pasta products being the substitution to native triticale up to 50 g/100 g, a good compromise between nutritional quality and technological characteristics.

Evaluation of Gluten Protein Profiles in Hydrolyzed Food Products by a Multiplex-Competitive Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

The apparent gluten concentration profiles of 47 hydrolyzed foods (barley malt, sprouted grains, and hydrolyzed wheat proteins (HWP)) were evaluated using a multiplex-competitive ELISA that utilizes the G12, R5, 2D4, MIoBS, and Skerritt antibodies from commercial sources. Cluster analysis was conducted to evaluate similarities or differences in the gluten protein/peptide response profiles among the hydrolyzed foods and their similarities or differences with fermented foods analyzed previously by the ELISA. The gluten protein/peptide response profiles of the hydrolyzed foods mainly depended on the grain source (wheat, rye, or barley) of gluten. Some hydrolyzed foods presented profiles similar to those of certain fermented foods (e.g., barley malt and gluten reduced barley beers), whereas others presented unique profiles (e.g., HWP and sprouted wheat). Additional analysis using wheat gluten-incurred yogurts indicated that while not suitable for the barley- or rye-containing foods tested, a newly developed gluten-incurred yogurt calibrant shows promise for the possible use in the quantitation of several wheat-containing fermented and hydrolyzed foods.

Cereal sprout-based food products: Industrial application, novel extraction, consumer acceptance, antioxidant potential, sensory evaluation, and health perspective

Cereal grains are a good source of macronutrients and micronutrients that are required for metabolic activity in the human body. Sprouts have been studied to enhance the nutrient profile. Moreover, secondary metabolites are examined as green food engineering technology that is used in the pharmaceutical, functional ingredients, nutraceutical, and cosmetic industries. The sprout-based food is commonly used to enhance the quality of products by softening the structure of the whole grain and increasing the phytochemicals (nutritional value and bioactive compounds). These sprouting grains can be added to a variety of products including snacks, bakery, beverage, and meat. Consuming whole grains has been shown to reduce the incidence and mortality of a variety of chronic and noncommunicable diseases. Sprouting grains have a diversity of biological functions, including antidiabetic, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. Cereal sprout-based products are more beneficial in reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases and gastrointestinal tract diseases. The novel extraction techniques (microwave-existed extraction, pulse electric field, and enzyme-associated) are applied to maintain and ensure the efficiency, safety, and nutritional profile of sprout. Nutrient-dense sprouts have a low environmental impact and are widely accepted by consumers. This review explores for the first time and sheds light on the antioxidant potential, sensory evaluation, industrial applications, and health perspective of cereal sprout-based food products.

Effect of a Bacterial Laccase on the Quality and Micro-Structure of Whole Wheat Bread

The gluten protein content in whole-wheat flour is low, which affects the elasticity and viscosity of the dough. Enzymatic modification of the protein may result in a network that mimics gluten, which plays an important role in the processing of whole-wheat foods. In this study, the effects of Halomonas alkaliantartica laccase (LacHa) on the quality parameters of whole-wheat bread were investigated. The optimum dosage of LacHa was 4 U/100 g of whole-wheat flour. At this dosage, whole-wheat bread exhibited the best specific volume and optimum texture parameters. Laccase also extended the storage duration of whole-wheat bread. We analyzed the micro-structure of the dough to determine its gluten-free protein extractable rate and free sulfhydryl group content, and verify that LacHa mediates cross-linking of gluten-free proteins. The results demonstrated that the cross-linking of gluten-free protein by LacHa improves the texture of whole-wheat bread. As a flour improver, LacHa has great developmental and application potential in baked-food production.

Post-sprouting thermal treatment of green barley malt to produce functional clean-label ingredients: Impact on fermentation, bread-making properties and bread quality

Malt flour represents a potential clean label bread improver, but a high enzymatic activity can lead to some bread defects. Thus, this study was focused on applying different thermal treatments (10 and 40 min; 70-90 °C) to green barley malt in order to promote a partial enzyme inactivation. The addition of 1.5 g of thermally treated malt (TTM) per 100 g of flour in wheat bread formulation was evaluated regarding the resulting bread-making properties, dough fermentation and overall bread quality. Activity of starch-degrading enzymes was not detectable above 80 °C/10 min. TTM incorporation improved the gas production by up to 60% during fermentation, mainly in formulations to which malts thermally treated under mild conditions have been added. Compared to untreated malt, thermal treatment reduced dough thermal weakening, improved gel strength during gelatinization and maintained low setback values. Bread collapse observed by baking follow-up was related to gas inflation and low mechanical resistance. Formulations with the addition of malts thermally treated at 70 °C for 40 min resulted in breads with higher specific volume, improved coloration and a crumb with slightly smaller pores than control and untreated malts. Thus, thermal treatment can be used as a technique to produce standardized malted flour to be used as clean label bread improvers.

Analysis of Fatty Acid Composition in Sprouted Grains

A whole-grain diet is associated with the prevention of metabolic syndromes, including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Sprouting improves the nutritional profile and bioactive properties of grains, which are important for use as raw ingredients in the food industry. The aim of this review was to examine the lipid and fatty acid composition of germinated grains. The methods discussed include germination and analytical procedures for determining fat and fatty acid contents of grains. The effects of sprouting on the fat content and storage stability of grains were also assessed. Lipid levels ranged from 1.43% to 6.66% in the sprouted grains. The individual fatty acid content of grains changed depending on the germination conditions (17-37 °C, 1-9 days). Limited findings showed that sprouting grains at higher temperatures (20-25 °C) and longer times generated a healthy balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, which is beneficial to humans. Future studies are needed to determine the optimum incubation and germination periods specific to each grain to improve the omega-6/omega-3 ratio. Free fatty acids were produced more slowly and levels of oxidation products were lower in sprouted grains than in the raw ingredients when stored for a year. Additional studies are required to investigate the oxidative stability and shelf life of sprouted grains.

Processing strategies to improve the breadmaking potential of whole-grain wheat and non-wheat flours

Strategies to increase the bio-functionality of staple food, such as bread, by incorporating whole-grain wheat flour or flour from other, non-wheat grains instead of refined wheat flour are often constrained with the lack of their techno-functionality, despite the associated beneficial effect on consumers' health and well-being. Most of the available studies investigating the possibilities to improve technological and sensory quality of bread prepared using whole-grain wheat and non-wheat flours still rely on formulation approaches in which different additives and novel ingredients are used as structuring agents. Less attention has been given to technological approaches which could be applied to induce structural changes on biopolymer level and thus increase the breadmaking potential of whole grains such as: modification of grain and biopolymers structure by germination, flour particle size reduction, dry-heat or hydrothermal treatment, atmospheric cold plasma, high-pressure processing or ultrasound treatment. Strategies to modify processing variables during breadmaking like dough kneading and hydration modification, sourdough fermentation or non-conventional baking techniques application are also poorly exploited for bread preparation from non-wheat grains. In this paper, the challenges and opportunities of abovementioned processing strategies for the development of bread with whole-wheat flours and non-wheat flours from underutilised gluten-containing or gluten-free cereals and pseudocereals will be reviewed throughout the whole breadmaking chain: from grain to bread and from milling to baking. Feasibility of different strategies to increase the technological performance and sensory quality of bread based on whole-grain wheat flours or flours from other, non-wheat grains will be addressed considering both the environmental, safety and nutritive advantages.

Germination of White and Red Quinoa Seeds: Improvement of Nutritional and Functional Quality of Flours

Quinoa is an Andean grain, classified as pseudocereal and the exploitation of its nutritional profile is of great interest for the cereal-based industry. The germination of quinoa seeds (white and red royal) was tested at 20 °C for different times (0, 18, 24 and 48 h) to select the best conditions for improving the nutritional quality of their flours. Changes in proximal composition, total phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, mineral content, unsaturated fatty acids and essential amino acids profiles of germinated quinoa seeds were determined. In addition, changes in structure and thermal properties of the starch and proteins as consequence of germination process were analyzed. In white quinoa, germination produced an increase in the content of lipids and total dietary fiber, at 48 h, the levels of linoleic and α-linolenic acids and antioxidant activity increase, while in red quinoa, the component that was mostly increased was total dietary fiber and, at 24 h, increased the levels of oleic and α-linolenic acids, essential amino acids (Lys, His and Met) and phenolic compounds; in addition, a decrease in the amount of sodium was detected. On the basis of the best nutritional composition, 48 h and 24 h of germination were selected for white and red quinoa seeds, respectively. Two protein bands were mostly observed at 66 kDa and 58 kDa, being in higher proportion in the sprouts. Changes in macrocomponents conformation and thermal properties were observed after germination. Germination was more positive in nutritional improvement of white quinoa, while the macromolecules (proteins and starch) of red quinoa presented greater structural changes. Therefore, germination of both quinoa seeds (48 h-white quinoa and 24 h-red quinoa) improves the nutritional value of flours producing the structural changes of proteins and starch necessary for obtaining high quality breads.

Effect of mulberry leaf polysaccharides on the baking and staling properties of frozen dough bread

BACKGROUND

Deterioration in frozen dough bread easily occurs in store, resulting in tremendous economic waste. Therefore, it is imperative to find natural additives to improve storage staling. The effects of mulberry leaf polysaccharides (MLP) were studied in terms of baking, retrogradation and microstructural aspects in frozen dough bread.

RESULTS

The incorporation of MLP improved the specific volume and reduced the hardness of bread during room storage, with 1% MLP showing the best results. The results of X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that crystallinity was decreased and the formation of double helical structure was inhibited with the incorporation of MLP. Meanwhile, the results of low-field nuclear magnetic resonance demonstrated that the addition of MLP was advantageous for retarding water migration and distribution, with reduced water loss. It can be seen intuitively from scanning electron microscopy that MLP improved the gluten network with a smoother and flatter system.

CONCLUSION

MLP improved the quality of bread during storage and delayed the degradation of internal structure, and can be used as an effective natural additive to improve the storage stability of baked food. 1% MLP showed the best results. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effects of Germinated Lentil Flour on Dough Rheological Behavior and Bread Quality

The present study analyzed the effects of germinated lentil flour (LGF) addition at different levels in wheat flour (2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10%), on dough rheological behavior, dough microstructure, and bread quality. Creep-recovery tests showed that the dough samples with high levels of LGF addition presented a higher resistance to flow deformability of the dough. Dough microstructure as analyzed using EFLM showed an increase in the protein area (red color) and a decrease in the starch (green color) amount with the increased level of LGF addition in the wheat flour. It was found that the LGF addition led to the improvement of the porosity, specific volume, and elasticity of the bread samples. The breads with LGF addition were darker and had a slightly reddish and yellowish tint. The bread textural parameters highlighted significant (p < 0.05) higher values for firmness and gumminess and significant (p < 0.05) lower ones for cohesiveness and resilience for the bread with LGF addition when compared with the control. The bread samples with a 2.5% and 5% addition had a more dense structure of the crumb pores. Regarding sensory evaluation, the bread samples with LGF addition in the wheat flour were well appreciated by the consumers. The addition also was desirable due to the fact that it supplemented bread with a greater amount of protein and minerals due to the composition of lentil grains. Therefore, LGF could be successfully used as an ingredient for bread making in order to obtain bread with an improved quality.

Arabinoxylans as Functional Food Ingredients: A Review

The health benefits of fibre consumption are sound, but a more compressive understanding of the individual effects of different fibres is still needed. Arabinoxylan is a complex fibre that provides a wide range of health benefits strongly regulated by its chemical structure. Arabinoxylans can be found in various grains, such as wheat, barley, or corn. This review addresses the influence of the source of origin and extraction process on arabinoxylan structure. The health benefits related to short-chain fatty acid production, microbiota regulation, antioxidant capacity, and blood glucose response control are discussed and correlated to the arabinoxylan's structure. However, most studies do not investigate the effect of AX as a pure ingredient on food systems, but as fibres containing AXs (such as bran). Therefore, AX's benefit for human health deserves further investigation. The relationship between arabinoxylan structure and its physicochemical influence on cereal products (pasta, cookies, cakes, bread, and beer) is also discussed. A strong correlation between arabinoxylan's structural properties (degree of branching, solubility, and molecular mass) and its functionalities in food systems can be observed. There is a need for further studies that address the health implications behind the consumption of arabinoxylan-rich products. Indeed, the food matrix may influence the effects of arabinoxylans in the gastrointestinal tract and determine which specific arabinoxylans can be included in cereal and non-cereal-based food products without being detrimental for product quality.

Clean-label techno-functional ingredients for baking products - a review

The increased awareness of consumers regarding unfamiliar labels speeded up the ongoing clean label trend. As baking products are widely consumed worldwide, the reduction of non-natural baking aids and improvers is of great interest for consumer's health but also representing a big challenge for food industries. Thus, this paper aims at describing new techno-functional clean label ingredients for baked products and their production processes conditions. Firstly, it includes ingredients such as sustainable protein sources, fat replacers and leavening alternatives. Then, it addresses new process alternatives for producing baking ingredients with natural claim as well as current concepts as the natural fermentation. In particular, molecular and functional modifications of the flour are discussed regarding malting and dry heat treatments. By being considered as green and emerging technologies that improve flour functionality, the resulting ingredients can replace additives. Changes in quality and technological attributes of breads and cakes will be discussed as a consequence of the partial to total replacement of conventional ingredients. This paper provides new alternatives for the baking industry to meet the demand of a growing health-concerned population. In addition, it focused on opening up new possibilities for the food industry to go in line with the consumers' expectations.

Sprouting Time Affects Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench) Functionality and Bread-Baking Performance

Despite being considered a climate-resilient crop, sorghum is still underutilized in food processing because of the limited starch and protein functionality. For this reason, the objective of this study was to investigate the effect of sprouting time on sorghum functional properties and the possibility to exploit sprouted sorghum in bread making. In this context, red sorghum was sprouted for 24, 36, 48, 72, and 96 h at 27 °C. Sprouting time did not strongly affect the sorghum composition in terms of total starch, fiber, and protein contents. On the other hand, the developed proteolytic activity had a positive effect on oil-absorption capacity, pasting, and gelation properties. Conversely, the increased α-amylase activity in sprouted samples (≥36 h) altered starch functionality. As regards sorghum-enriched bread, the blends containing 48 h-sprouted sorghum showed high specific volume and low crumb firmness. In addition, enrichment in sprouted sorghum increased both the in vitro protein digestibility and the slowly digestible starch fraction of bread. Overall, this study showed that 48 h-sprouted sorghum enhanced the bread-making performance of wheat-based products.

The Use of Sprouts to Improve the Nutritional Value of Food Products: A Brief Review

Sprouts are vegetable foods rich in phytonutrients, such as glucosinolates, phenolics, and isoflavones. Many studies have shown that sprouts also have high concentrations of vitamins and minerals. In addition to the high concentration of nutrients, sprouts can present a reduction of anti-nutritional factors such as phytates, tannins, and oxalates, which increases the bioaccessibility of minerals. However, their nutritional composition depends on several factors, such as the type of sprout and the germination conditions. In recent years, these foods have been highly demanded because they are associated to many health benefits. Moreover, germination is an easy and fast process, and does not depend on specific climatic conditions (potentially more sustainable to growth). The use of sprouts for the elaboration of food products can be a good strategy to increase the nutritional value of certain products that are widely consumed worldwide. In this sense, studies that evaluated the impact of adding sprouted grains on the nutritional value of some products, as well as the effect on their sensory properties were searched in the scientific literature. Most of them used germinated grain flours to replace wheat flour in food products. The satisfactory results of these products were associated with the type of sprout used and with the level of replacement of the wheat flour. This review briefly explored the nutritional benefits and the sensory acceptance of food products made with added sprouts.

Effect of Sprouting on Proteins and Starch in Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.)

This study aims at understanding the relation among sprouting time (from 12 up to 72 h), changes in protein and starch components, and flour functionality in quinoa. Changes related to the activity of sprouting-related proteases were observed after 48 h of sprouting in all protein fractions. Progressive proteolysis resulted in relevant modification in the organization of quinoa storage proteins, with a concomitant increase in the availability of physiologically relevant metals such as copper and zinc. Changes in the protein profile upon sprouting resulted in improved foam stability, but in impaired foaming capacity. The increased levels of amylolytic enzymes upon sprouting also made starch less prompt to gelatinize upon heating. Consequently, starch re-association in a more ordered structure upon cooling was less effective, resulting in low setback viscosity. The nature and the intensity of these modifications suggest various possibilities as for using flour from sprouted quinoa as an ingredient in the formulation of baked products.

Nutritional Features and Bread-Making Performance of Wholewheat: Does the Milling System Matter?

Despite the interest in stone-milling, there is no information on the potential advantages of using the resultant wholegrain flour (WF) in bread-making. Consequently, nutritional and technological properties of WFs obtained by both stone- (SWF) and roller-milling (RWF) were assessed on four wheat samples, differing in grain hardness and pigment richness. Regardless of the type of wheat, stone-milling led to WFs with a high number of particles ranging in size from 315 to 710 μm), whereas RWFs showed a bimodal distribution with large (>1000 μm) and fine (<250 μm) particles. On average, the milling system did not affect the proximate composition and the bioactive features of WFs. The gluten aggregation kinetics resulted in similar trends for all SWFs, with indices higher than for RWFs. The effect of milling on dough properties (i.e., mixing and leavening) was sample dependent. Overall, SWFs produced more gas, resulting in bread with higher specific volume. Bread crumb from SWF had higher lutein content in the wheat cv rich in xanthophylls, while bread from RWF of the blue-grained cv had a moderate but significantly higher content in esterified phenolic acids and total anthocyanins. In conclusion, there was no relevant advantage in using stone- as opposed to roller-milling (and vice versa).

Exploiting Milling By-Products in Bread-Making: The Case of Sprouted Wheat

This research investigated the effect of sprouting on wheat bran. Bran from un-sprouted (BUW) and sprouted (BSW) wheat were characterized in terms of chemical composition, enzymatic activities, and hydration properties. In addition, the rheological properties (using GlutoPeak, Farinograph, Extensograph, and Rheofermentometer tests) and bread-making performance (color, texture, volume of bread) of wheat doughs enriched in bran at 20% replacement level were assessed. Sprouting process caused a significant decrease in phytic acid (~20%), insoluble dietary fiber (~11%), and water holding capacity (~8%), whereas simple sugars (~133%) and enzymatic activities significantly increased after processing. As regards the gluten aggregation kinetics, the BSW-blend profile was more similar to wheat than BUW-blend, indicating changes in the fiber and gluten interactions. BSW led to a worsening of the mixing and leavening properties, instead, no significant changes in extensibility were observed. Finally, BSW improved bread volume (~10%) and crumb softness (~52%). Exploiting bran from sprouted wheat might be useful to produce bread rich in fiber with enhanced characteristics.