Effect of iron-enrichment on the antioxidant properties of wheat flour and bread

Measurement of Iron in Flour and Commonly-Used Breads Baked in Isfahan, Iran: A Risk Assessment Study with Monte Carlo Simulation

Fortification of highly-consumed foods such as bread is an easy and cheap strategy to combat the iron deficiency anemia. However, there have sometimes been some side effects such as iron overload and digestive problems. Accordingly, this study aimed to examine the amount of iron as well as its non-carcinogenic risks in commonly-used types of Iranian flour and breads (Barbary, Lavash, and Tafton) in Isfahan, Iran. Iron concentration of 100 samples of flour and breads were measured by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer. Moreover, the non-carcinogenic health risk of iron in fortified breads was estimated by Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) in Monte Carlo Simulation technique. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ), with a recovery level of 95%, were 1.8 × 10-5 and 5.9 × 10-5 mg/kg, respectively. The total mean concentration of iron in flour (53.48 ± 22.49 mg/kg) and bread (39.02 ± 22.63 mg/kg) samples was within the standard recommended range (40-85 mg/kg) in Iran. THQ for adults and children was equal to 0.53 and 2.48. respectively. Hence, non-carcinogenic risk of iron through bread consumption was acceptable for adults, while it was not acceptable for children as a sensitive group. Consequently, it is required to rescreen the flour and bread fortification program in Iran according to the comprehensive risk assessment studies.

Oxidative Stress and Antioxidants-A Critical Review on In Vitro Antioxidant Assays

Antioxidants have been widely studied in the fields of biology, medicine, food, and nutrition sciences. There has been extensive work on developing assays for foods and biological systems. The scientific communities have well-accepted the effectiveness of endogenous antioxidants generated in the body. However, the health efficacy and the possible action of exogenous dietary antioxidants are still questionable. This may be attributed to several factors, including a lack of basic understanding of the interaction of exogenous antioxidants in the body, the lack of agreement of the different antioxidant assays, and the lack of specificity of the assays, which leads to an inability to relate specific dietary antioxidants to health outcomes. Hence, there is significant doubt regarding the relationship between dietary antioxidants to human health. In this review, we documented the variations in the current methodologies, their mechanisms, and the highly varying values for six common food substrates (fruits, vegetables, processed foods, grains, legumes, milk, and dairy-related products). Finally, we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the antioxidant assays and examine the challenges in correlating the antioxidant activity of foods to human health.

Usability of microfluidized flaxseed as a functional additive in bread

BACKGROUND

Flaxseed is a rich source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, lignans, and dietary fiber. However, it also contains phytic acid, which inhibits mineral absorption and has the potential to adversely affect the properties of bread. Microfluidization prevents these negative effects, reduces the amount of phytic acid, and improves functional properties. In this study, the possibility of using full-fat and defatted flaxseed flours as well as microfluidized flaxseed flours in bread formulation was investigated. For this purpose, crude and microfluidized flaxseed flours were added to the bread in different proportions (0, 25, 50, and 75 g kg^-1 ), and the effects of the partial replacement of wheat flour with flaxseed flours on the functional, quality, and sensory properties of breads were analyzed. The effects of the microfluidization process on the antioxidant properties, phenolic, dietary fiber, and phytic acid content of flaxseed were also observed.

RESULT

Flaxseed flours increased the dietary fiber, phenolic contents, and antioxidant activities of breads. The crumb color became darker with increasing level of flaxseed flours, and their addition also detrimentally affected the sensory properties of breads. It was seen that the microfluidization process has beneficial effects on functional properties of full-fat and defatted flaxseed flours, as well as on their quality characteristics.

CONCLUSION

The study showed that flaxseed flour is a rich source of functional compounds, and it is even possible to further improve these functional properties with microfluidization treatment. Microfluidized flaxseed flour can also be used as a promising alternative functional food to enrich breads. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

The influence of yeast level and fermentation temperature on Ochratoxin A decrement during bread making

Ochratoxin A (OTA) occurrence in cereals is a permanent challenge in human health. In recent years, some studies have focused on the role of yeasts as adsorbing tools to eliminate OTA. The aim of the current research was to study the effects of different variables including Saccharomyces cerevisiae amount and the fermentation temperature on the reduction of OTA during bread baking. For this purpose, the OTA was spiked to the flour and then the bread was prepared. OTA levels in flour, dough, and bread were measured by the high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detector (HPLC-FD). The results revealed that yeast level and fermentation temperature had a significant effect on OTA reduction. The increase of the amount of S. cerevisiae from 1% to 2% w/w and the fermentation temperature from 25ºC to 30ºC resulted in the increment of OTA reduction from 31.17% to 59.41%. During baking, OTA reduction was 19.21%. In general, the utilization of 2% w/w S. cerevisiae and the fermentation temperature of 35 ºC could reduce considerable amount of OTA in the wheat bread.