Sustainable plant-based ingredients as wheat flour substitutes in bread making

Research output: Contribution to journalReview Articlepeer-review

Abstract

Bread as a staple food has been predominantly prepared from refined wheat flour. The world’s demand for food is rising with increased bread consumption in developing countries where climate conditions are unsuitable for wheat cultivation. This reliance on wheat increases the vulnerability to wheat supply shocks caused by force majeure or man-made events, in addition to negative environmental and health consequences. In this review, we discuss the contribution to the sustainability of food systems by partially replacing wheat flour with various types of plant ingredients in bread making, also known as composite bread. The sustainable sources of non-wheat flours, their example use in bread making and potential health and nutritional benefits are summarized. Non-wheat flours pose techno-functional challenges due to significantly different properties of their proteins compared to wheat gluten, and they often contain off-favor compounds that altogether limit the consumer acceptability of final bread products. Therefore, we detail recent advances in processing strategies to improve the sensory and nutritional profiles of composite bread. A special focus is laid on fermentation, for its accessibility and versatility to apply to different ingredients and scenarios. Finally, we outline research needs that require the synergism between sustainability science, human nutrition, microbiomics and food science.
Original languageEnglish
Article number49
Journalnpj science of food
Volume6
Number of pages16
ISSN2396-8370
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 28 Oct 2022
MoE publication typeA2 Review article in a scientific journal

Fields of Science

  • 416 Food Science
  • BREWERS SPENT GRAIN
  • DIETARY FIBER
  • IN-SITU
  • ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
  • SENSORY QUALITY
  • COMPOSITE BREAD
  • DOUGH RHEOLOGY
  • GUT MICROBIOTA
  • FOOD SECURITY
  • FINGER MILLET

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