Can cassava improve the quality of gluten free breads?

Whole Flour of Purple Maize as a Functional Ingredient of Gluten-Free Bread: Effect of In Vitro Digestion on Starch and Bioaccessibility of Bioactive Compounds

The growing demand for gluten-free products requires the study of alternatives to produce nutritionally and technologically favorable foods. The aim was to evaluate the content and antioxidant capacity of gluten-free bread enriched with whole flour of purple maize (PM) and how starch and bioaccessibility of antioxidant compounds were modified during in vitro digestion. Gluten-free bread was prepared with the addition of 34%, 50%, and 70% PM, and white maize bread served as control. The content of total polyphenols, anthocyanins, and antioxidant capacity through FRAP and TEAC was measured. Specific volume, crumb texture, and starch digestibility were determined in the breads. Simultaneously, in vitro digestion and dialysis by membrane were performed to evaluate the bioaccessible and potentially bioavailable fraction. Bread with 34% PM had a similar specific volume and crumb texture to the control, but higher content of polyphenols (52.91 mg AG/100 g), anthocyanins (23.13 mg c3-GE/100 g), and antioxidant capacity (3.55 and 5.12 µmol tr/g for FRAP and TEAC, respectively). The PM breads had a higher antioxidant content and capacity and higher slowly digestible and resistant starch than the control. These parameters increased as the PM proportion rose. After digestion, anthocyanins were degraded, polyphenols and antioxidant capacity decreased, but they remained potentially bioavailable, although to a lesser extent. Bread with 34% shows acceptable technological parameters, lower starch digestibility, and contribution of bioactive compounds with antioxidant capacity. This indicates that purple maize flour represents a potential ingredient to produce gluten-free bread with an improved nutritional profile.

Cassava production in africa: A panel analysis of the drivers and trends

Cassava is Africa's most important tuberous crop. It is an all-year-round cheap and reliable staple food for millions of Africans, making it vital for food security on the continent. However, cassava production in Africa is hindered by a persistent problem of low yield per hectare. This study addresses the dearth of research on the specific influences of area harvested and yield per hectare on cassava production in Africa. This work uses panel data from 37 African countries from 1961 to 2020 and sheds light on three key aspects. Firstly, it investigates the extent and nature of the low yield per hectare problem, offering insights into its underlying causes and implications. Secondly, it examines the interplay between area harvested and yield per hectare, revealing the factors driving the observed trends in cassava yields on the continent. Lastly, this study contributes to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 15: Life on Land and Goal 2: Zero Hunger, by providing valuable information to enhance cassava production sustainability. The findings indicate that approximately 95.6% of the variability in production can be explained by changes in the area harvested, around 1.1% by yield variability, about 27.6% by consumer price index and 1.8% by temperature changes. Notably, the study observes a significant increase in the area harvested by 16.8 million hectares and average yield levels varied between 5.7 and 9.6 tonnes per hectare. The analysis also reveals a disparity in translating gains from disease eradication and introducing high-yield, disease-resistant varieties into smallholder cassava farming. In conclusion, the study highlights the potential for sustainable intensification of cassava production as a viable pathway to enhance absolute and per-hectare yields while promoting farmers' income and mitigating cassava cultivation-related deforestation. Understanding and addressing the low yield per hectare problem in cassava production are crucial steps toward ensuring food security and achieving sustainable agricultural practices in Africa.

Potentially Health-Promoting Spaghetti-Type Pastas Based on Doubly Modified Corn Starch: Starch Oxidation via Wet Chemistry Followed by Organocatalytic Butyrylation Using Reactive Extrusion

Extruded spaghetti-type pasta systems were obtained separately either from native or oxidized starch prepared via wet chemistry with the aim of evaluating the effect of oxidation modification of starch. In addition to this, the butyrylation reaction (butyrate (Bu) esterification-short-chain fatty acid) using native or oxidized starch was analyzed under reactive extrusion (REx) conditions with and without the addition of a green food-grade organocatalyst (l(+)-tartaric acid) with the purpose of developing potentially health-promoting spaghetti-type pasta systems in terms of increasing its resistant starch (RS) values. These would be due to obtaining organocatalytic butyrylated starch or not, or the manufacture of a doubly modified starch (oxidized-butyrylated-starch oxidation followed by organocatalytic butyrylation) or not. To this end, six pasta systems were developed and characterized by solid-state ¹³C cross-polarization magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (CP MAS NMR) spectroscopy, degree of substitution (DS), attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR/FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), pancreatic digestion, free Bu content analysis and in vitro starch digestibility. The results obtained here suggest that starch oxidation hydrolytically degrades starch chains, making them more susceptible to enzymatic degradation by α-amylase. However, the oxidized starch-based pasta systems, once esterified by Bu mainly on the amylose molecules (doubly modified pasta systems) increased their RS values, and this was more pronounced with the addition of the organocatalyst (maximum RS value = ~8%). Interestingly, despite the checked chemical changes that took place on the molecular structure of starch upon butyrylation or oxidation reactions in corn starch-based spaghetti-type pasta systems, and their incidence on starch digestibility, the orthorhombic crystalline structure (A-type starch) of starch remained unchanged.

Can Citrus Fiber Improve the Quality of Gluten-Free Breads?

Citrus fiber has a high water absorption capacity, and its properties can be modified by shearing. In this study, the influence of the addition of normal or shear-activated citrus fiber was analyzed in two gluten-free bread formulations. Citrus fiber increases bread optimal hydration and breadcrumb alveolus size due to this high water retention capacity. However, results are negative in the formula based on starches and rice flour because specific volume is significantly reduced, while bread quality improves in the formula based on starches (corn and tapioca). In this case, the breads become less hard and more cohesive, elastic, and resilient, reducing staling. Baking yield also increased due to a greater hydration and a reduced weight loss during baking, without losing acceptability. The mechanical pre-activation of the fiber further increases optimal hydration, without major changes in the quality of the final bread. These effects are associated with cell rupture, and thus the formation of a three-dimensional network, including the increase of surface area and its interaction with water. Citrus fiber increases the hydration of the dough, as well as the cohesiveness, resilience, and elasticity of the crumb, reducing the increase in hardness during storage without affecting acceptability or increasing it.

Native and fermented waxy cassava starch as a novel gluten-free and clean label ingredient for baking and expanded product development

Amylose-free and wild-type cassava starches were fermented for up to 30 days and oven- or sun-dried. The specific volume (ν) after baking was measured in native and fermented starches. The average ν (across treatments) for waxy starch was 3.5 times higher than that in wild-type starches (17.6 vs. 4.8 cm³ g^-1). The best wild-type starch (obtained after fermentation and sun-drying) had considerably poorer breadmaking potential than native waxy cassava (8.4 vs. 16.4 cm³ g^-1, respectively). The best results were generally obtained through the synergistic combination of fermentation (for about 10-14 days) and sun-drying. Fermentation reduced viscosities and the weight average molar mass led to denser macromolecules and increased branching degree, which are linked to a high loaf volume. The absence of amylose, however, was shown to be a main determinant as well. Native waxy starch (neutral in taste, gluten-free, and considerably less expensive than the current alternatives to cassava) could become a new ingredient for the formulation of clean label-baked or fried expanded products.

The Sensory Profiles of Flatbreads Made from Sorghum, Cassava, and Cowpea Flour Used as Wheat Flour Alternatives

Sorghum, cowpea, and cassava are underutilised gluten-free sources of flour that have the potential to be used in bread products in sub-Saharan Africa. Excessive wheat imports affect the economies of countries in sub-Saharan Africa, driving the search for wheat flour alternatives. To extend the use of sorghum, cowpea, and cassava flours toward bread production, it is vital that the sensory properties of these flours are better understood. A trained sensory panel evaluated and described the sensory properties of flatbread models prepared from red non-tannin sorghum, fractions (whole and dehulled) of two cowpea varieties, cassava starch, and designated flour composites. The composites were prepared using cassava starch and sorghum flour at 0%, 35%, and 70%, respectively, with 30% cowpea flour. The addition of sorghum intensified sorghum aroma in flatbread, while cowpea flours contributed a beany flavour. Flatbreads from cassava-cowpea composites had a chewier and rubberier mouthfeel, an intense fermented aroma and flavour, and a sour aftertaste compared to single flours, but were most similar to the wheat flatbread, with a residual beany flavour. Information from this study can guide food product developers toward developing new bread products from sorghum, cassava, and cowpea composite flours, thereby moving Africa towards a more sustainable food system. Further research on the effects of the sensory characteristics on consumer liking of the flatbreads is needed.