Search Results (23)

This study aimed to (i) investigate the effect of using grape water in the production of traditional sourdough; (ii) select seeds for use in laboratory-scale sourdough bread production; and (iii) assess the effect of incorporating fresh germinated seeds into recipe of organic sourdough bread on nutritional, technological, and sensory properties. The pH of both control (CSD, flour only) and boosted (BSD, supplemented with “grape water”) sourdough fell below 4.5 by day 3. After 10 days of back-slopping and fermentation, both sourdoughs harbored 9 log CFU/g of lactic acid bacteria, whereas yeast cell density in the CSD was 1 log cycle higher. Based on their high germination rates (~90%), lentil and wheat seeds were selected as additional ingredients (5%). Bread with germinated lentils (GL) and bread with germinated wheat (GW) were compared with control bread (without seeds). GL and GW breads showed gas cell areas of 28.6% and 18.1%, respectively, which were higher than the control. In addition, GL and GW received higher scores for taste (8.6) and softness (5.6), respectively. Additionally, GL contained more proteins (9.9%) and fewer lipids (0.3%) than the two other bread types, in addition to being potentially labeled as a “source of fiber”. Full article

Intercropping is an eco-friendly agricultural practice that can lead to increased productivity and improved resource efficiency. This two-year field study (2022–2023 and 2023–2024) aimed to evaluate the yield and quality (protein content) of lentil when intercropping with bread wheat (Yekora) and oat (Kassandra) under two spatial arrangements (1:1 alternate rows and mixed rows at a 50:50 seeding ratio) in northwestern Greece. A completely randomized design was applied with three replications. Differences were found between treatments regarding yield as well as protein content. Results showed that the highest total grain yield (2478.6 kg/ha) and land equivalent ratio (LER = 2.50) were recorded in the Yekora + Thessalia combination (alternate rows). Legume protein content remained consistently high (27–31%), while cereal protein content varied with genotype. Intercropping in alternate rows generally outperformed mixed sowing, indicating the importance of spatial arrangement in optimizing resource use. These findings suggest that properly designed cereal–lentil intercropping systems can enhance yield and quality while supporting sustainable agricultural practices. Intercropping of Yekora with lentil was superior compared to lentil and bread wheat monocultures and can be recommended as an alternative method for the production of human and animal food. Full article

This study focused on developing a functional bazlama with a lower glycemic index (GI) that is high in β-glucan and rich in plant-based protein. Functional bazlama samples were produced by supplementing bread wheat flour with high β-glucan content hull-less barley flour and high protein content lentil flour (15%, 30%, and 45%). Additionally, mixed bazlama samples (Mix1, Mix2, Mix3, and Mix4) were produced by supplementing them with both barley and lentil flours. The results showed that 3 g of β-glucan could be provided from the bazlama sample and supplemented with 45% barley flour, which meets the threshold to carry health claims. Supplementing with 30% and 45% lentil flour increased the protein content of the bazlama samples to a level qualifying them as a “high protein”. The control bazlama had a high GI, while samples supplemented with 30% and 45% barley or lentil flour and all mixed bazlama samples had medium GI values, and Mix2 had the lowest GI value among all bazlama samples. Also, as the supplementation levels of barley and lentil flour increased, the phenolic contents and antioxidant capacities of the bazlama samples increased. The results of the present study indicate that barley and lentils can be used as an ingredient in traditional flatbreads to obtain products with better functional and nutritional properties. Full article

This study investigated the contribution of pulse starches (PSs) to the slowly digestible starch (SDS) properties observed in pulses. Purified pulse starches from 17 commonly consumed pulses were examined, focusing on their digestion kinetics using a pancreatic alpha-amylase (PAA) and rat intestinal acetone powder (RIAP) mixture. Chickpea starch, exhibiting a slow digestibility profile, was incorporated as an ingredient to confer slow digestibility to refined wheat flour bread. Our findings reveal that some PSs exhibited low digestibility when gelatinized (100 °C, 30 min) and retrograded (7 days, 4 °C). Rapid retrogradation was observed in starch from chickpeas, lentils, field peas, adzuki beans, navy beans, large lima beans, and great northern beans. The incorporation of chickpea starch into fortified bread significantly improved its slow digestibility properties. This study reveals the potential of pulse starch as a promising functional ingredient for baked products, related to the faster retrogradation of many pulse-sourced starches. These findings contribute valuable insights into the slow digestibility attributes of pulse starches for developing food products with enhanced nutritional profiles. Full article

This paper aimed to study the nutritional, phytochemical and rheological properties of some composite flours based on wheat flour (WF) mixed with non-germinated (LF) and sprouted lentil flour (SLF), in order to fortify the wheat flour and to obtain functional bakery/pastry products. The composite flours based on wheat flour and bean lentil flour (BLWF) and sprouted lentil flour (SLWF) were analyzed from the point of view of proximate composition (proteins, lipids, total carbohydrates, and minerals), content of individual and total polyphenols (TPC), as well as the contents of macro and microelements. For use in baking/pastries, the composite flours were tested from the point of view of rheological behavior using the MIXOLAB system, and the profiles obtained were compared with those of bread and biscuit. The results indicated that fortifying wheat flour with lentil flour, both in non-germinated and sprouted forms, increased the protein by 0.6–35.2% and mineral content of the samples and decreased the lipids by 8.3–43.2% and the carbohydrates by 2.8–9.4%. The total polyphenol content (TPC) increased by fortifying the wheat flour with non-germinated and sprouted lentil flour, the increase being between 39.2–131.4%. Regarding individual polyphenols, nine polyphenols were determined, of which epicatechin (46.979 mg/kg) and quercetin (45.95 mg/kg) were identified in the highest concentration in the composite flours. The increase in micronutrient intake by fortifying wheat flour with black lentil flour in both germinated and ungerminated form is more significant compared to the increases recorded in the case of the main macronutrients (Ca, Na, Mg, and K). The micronutrients increased in the composite flours in the order: Cu < Zn < Fe < Mn. The MIXOLAB profile highlighted that black lentil flour, although having a higher absorption index than that recommended for biscuit production, would improve the stability of the dough. Full article

Background/Objectives: The increase in the older adult population worldwide and the need to switch to vegetal-origin protein consumption for environmental sustainability point to legumes and pseudocereals as alternative ingredients in new food formulations. This study aimed to assess the impact of food structure and fungal fermentation on the digestibility of new food prototypes made with quinoa and/or lentil flours addressed to older adults. Methods: Four gels and six breads were elaborated and subjected to mechanical analysis and simulated gastrointestinal in vitro digestion. Then, proteolysis, lipolysis, and amylolysis were analysed. Results: Gels made with fermented quinoa or lentil flours exhibited less hardness and required less force, suggesting better adequacy for mastication. In terms of digestibility, using fermented flours led to increased proteolysis and reduced starch hydrolysis. Conclusions: Our results support future studies in the field aimed at supplying older adults with adapted foods to satisfy their nutritional needs to prevent sarcopenia and other health issues. Full article

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. Full article

Legumes, including beans, peas, chickpeas, and lentils, are cultivated worldwide and serve as important components of a balanced and nutritious diet. Each legume variety contains unique levels of protein, starch, fiber, lipids, minerals, and vitamins, with potential applications in various industries. By-products such as hulls, rich in bioactive compounds, offer promise for value-added utilization and health-focused product development. Various extraction methods are employed to enhance protein extraction rates from legume by-products, finding applications in various foods such as meat analogs, breads, and desserts. Moreover, essential fatty acids, carotenoids, tocols, and polyphenols are abundant in several residual fractions from legumes. These bioactive classes are linked to reduced incidence of cardiovascular diseases, chronic inflammation, some cancers, obesity, and type 2 diabetes, among other relevant health conditions. The present contribution provides a comprehensive review of the nutritional and bioactive composition of major legumes and their by-products. Additionally, the bioaccessibility and bioavailability aspects of legume consumption, as well as in vitro and in vivo evidence of their health effects are addressed. Full article

This study aimed to explore the feasibility of substituting wheat flour with varying levels (10%, 15%, 20%, and 25%) of flour derived from field bean, chickpea, lentil, and pea seeds. The investigation focused on assessing the physical properties of wheat dough and the physicochemical characteristics of bread samples. The addition of legume seed flours significantly influenced the dough’s development time, particularly with chickpea flour causing a notable increase in this parameter. While dough stability was generally shorter for mixtures containing wheat flour and legume seed flour, chickpea flour was an exception, significantly prolonging dough stability time. Furthermore, the inclusion of legume flours resulted in increased protein, ash, fiber, fat, and phenolic contents in the enriched bread, while the carbohydrate content decreased. Additionally, the crumb exhibited increased redness and yellowness and decreased lightness due to the enrichment of the bread. Notably, the antioxidant activity of bread containing legume flour also increased, with the most significant increase observed when pea flour was utilized. Conversely, negative effects on bread volume, crumb density, and texture parameters were noted with the incorporation of legume additives. Taking into consideration the results of both physicochemical analyses and sensory evaluation, it is recommended that the incorporation of the specified legume flours should not exceed 15% in relation to the quantity of wheat flour used. Full article

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common metabolic disorder among pregnant women. Dietary habits during pregnancy might alter the risk of GDM development, and populations following the Mediterranean diet are relatively understudied. This was a cross-sectional, observational study of 193 low-risk women admitted to a private maternity hospital in Greece to give birth. Food frequency data on specific food categories, selected based on previous research, were analyzed. Logistic regression models, both crude and adjusted for maternal age, body mass index before pregnancy, and gestational weight gain, were fitted. We observed no association of carbohydrate-rich meals, sweets, soft drinks, coffee, rice, pasta, bread and crackers, potatoes, lentils, and juices with GDM diagnosis. Cereals (crude p = 0.045, adjusted p = 0.095) and fruits and vegetables (crude p = 0.07, adjusted p = 0.04) appeared to have a protective effect against GDM, while frequent tea consumption was linked to higher risk of GDM development (crude p = 0.067, adjusted p = 0.035). These results strengthen previously identified associations and underline the importance and potential impact of changing dietary habits even during pregnancy in adjusting one’s risk of metabolic pregnancy complications, such as GDM. The importance of healthy dietary habits is highlighted, with the goal of raising awareness amongst obstetric care specialists regarding the provision of systematic nutrition recommendations to pregnant women. Full article

Introduction: There is little practical guidance about suitable food choices for higher natural protein tolerances in patients with phenylketonuria (PKU). This is particularly important to consider with the introduction of adjunct pharmaceutical treatments that may improve protein tolerance. Aim: To develop a set of guidelines for the introduction of higher protein foods into the diets of patients with PKU who tolerate >10 g/day of protein. Methods: In January 2022, a 26-item food group questionnaire, listing a range of foods containing protein from 5 to >20 g/100 g, was sent to all British Inherited Metabolic Disease Group (BIMDG) dietitians (n = 80; 26 Inherited Metabolic Disease [IMD] centres). They were asked to consider within their IMD dietetic team when they would recommend introducing each of the 26 protein-containing food groups into a patient’s diet who tolerated >10 g to 60 g/day of protein. The patient protein tolerance for each food group that received the majority vote from IMD dietetic teams was chosen as its tolerance threshold for introduction. A virtual meeting was held using Delphi methodology in March 2022 to discuss and agree final consensus. Results: Responses were received from dietitians from 22/26 IMD centres (85%) (11 paediatric, 11 adult). For patients tolerating protein ≥15 g/day, the following foods were agreed for inclusion: gluten-free pastas, gluten-free flours, regular bread, cheese spreads, soft cheese, and lentils in brine; for protein tolerance ≥20 g/day: nuts, hard cheeses, regular flours, meat/fish, and plant-based alternative products (containing 5–10 g/100 g protein), regular pasta, seeds, eggs, dried legumes, and yeast extract spreads were added; for protein tolerance ≥30 g/day: meat/fish and plant-based alternative products (containing >10–20 g/100 g protein) were added; and for protein tolerance ≥40 g/day: meat/fish and plant-based alternatives (containing >20 g/100 g protein) were added. Conclusion: This UK consensus by IMD dietitians from 22 UK centres describes for the first time the suitability and allocation of higher protein foods according to individual patient protein tolerance. It provides valuable guidance for health professionals to enable them to standardize practice and give rational advice to patients. Full article

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. Full article

Pulse flours are commonly added to food products to improve the functional properties, nutritional profiles, product quality and health benefits. This study aimed at assessing the effects of the partial replacement (0–25%) of whole wheat flour with diversified whole pulse flours (yellow pea, green pea, red lentil, and chickpea) on dough properties and bread quality. The pulse flours had higher protein contents and ash, but lower moisture content and larger average particle size, compared to whole wheat flour. Increasing the substitution level of pulse flours decreased dough viscosity, stability, development time and bread volume, and accelerated bread retrogradation. The incorporation of 5% yellow pea flour led to a similar bread quality as that with only whole wheat flour. Among all the tested pulse flours, the composite flour containing yellow pea flour or chickpea flour had overall better potential for bread making by providing good dough handling properties and product quality. This study will benefit the development of more nutritious food products by combining cereal and pulse ingredients. Full article

A comprehensive study into the potential of bioprocessing techniques (sprouting and sourdough fermentation) for improving the technological and nutritional properties of wheat breads produced using barley and lentil grains was undertaken. Dextran biosynthesis in situ during fermentation of native or sprouted barley flour (B or SB) alone or by mixing SB flour with native or sprouted lentil flour (SB-L or SB-SL) by Weissella paramesenteroides SLA5, Weissella confusa SLA4, Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides DSM 20193 or Weissella confusa DSM 20194 was assessed. The acidification and the viscosity increase during 24 h of fermentation with and without 16% sucrose (on flour weight), to promote the dextran synthesis, were followed. After the selection of the fermentation parameters, the bioprocessing was carried out by using Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides DSM 20193 (the best LAB dextran producer, up to 2.7% of flour weight) and a mixture of SB-SL (30:70% w/w) grains, enabling also the decrease in the raffinose family oligosaccharides. Then, the SB-SL sourdoughs containing dextran or control were mixed with the wheat flour (30% of the final dough) and leavened with baker’s yeast before baking. The use of dextran-containing sourdough allowed the production of bread with structural improvements, compared to the control sourdough bread. Compared to a baker’s yeast bread, it also markedly reduced the predicted glycemic index, increased the soluble (1.26% of dry matter) and total fibers (3.76% of dry matter) content, giving peculiar and appreciable sensory attributes. Full article

The influence of the addition of four legume flours, chickpea, broad bean, common bean and red lentil (in amounts of 5%, 10% and 15% to a wheat-rye composite flour (50:50:0-control flour), in ratios of 50:45:5; 50:40:10; 50:35:15) was studied by analyzing the rheological properties of dough in order to further exploit the functionality of legume flours in bakery products. The rheological properties of dough were monitored using a Mixolab 2. A Rheofermentometer F4 was used to check the dough fermentation, and a Volscan was used for evaluating the baking trials. The addition of different legume flours in the mixtures resulted in different viscoelastic properties of the dough. The results showed a weakening of the protein network depending on the amount of legume flour added and on the specific legume flour. On the contrary, all samples with a higher proportion of legume flour showed an increased resistance to starch retrogradation. All flours had the ability to produce a sufficient volume of fermenting gases, with the exception of flours with a higher addition of broad bean flour, and the baking test confirmed a lower bread volume for bread with this addition. The results of the sensory evaluation indicated that legume flour additions resulted in breads with an acceptable sensory quality, in the case of additions of 5% at the same level as the bread controls, or even better. The aromas and flavors of the added non-cereal ingredients improved the sensory profile of wheat-rye bread. Breads with additions of chickpea, common bean and broad bean had a considerable proportion of darker colors in comparison to the control bread and bread with red lentil. Full article