Nutritional and functional performance of high β-glucan barley flours in breadmaking: mixed breads versus wheat breads

Abstract

The ability of high β-glucan barley (HBGB) flour versus regular commercial barley (CB) to make highly nutritious wheat (WT) blended breads meeting functional and sensory standards has been investigated. Mixed breads obtained by 40 % replacement of WT flour by HBGB flours are more nutritious than those replaced by CB flours and much more than regular WT flour breads in terms of elevated levels of dietary fibre fractions (soluble, insoluble, resistant starch and β-glucans), slowly digestible starch subfraction and bioaccessible polyphenols providing higher antiradical activity. WT/CB and WT/HBGB breads can be, respectively, labelled as source of fibre (3 g DF/100 g food) and high-fibre breads (6 g DF/100 g food), according to Nutritional Claims for dietary fibre foods. The consumption of 100 g of WT/HBGB can meet up to almost 50 % the required dietary fibre, providing a β-glucan intake high enough to meet the requirements of the EFSA health claim (3 g/day), contributing a reduced blood cholesterol level. The techno-functional performance of fresh blended breads and the sensory appreciation were in general preserved or even improved.