Non-conventional Flours Research Articles

Autochthonous lactic acid bacteria in gluten-free sourdoughs produce nutritional and technological improvements in quinoa and buckwheat breads

Autochthonous lactic acid bacteria in gluten-free sourdoughs produce nutritional and technological improvements in quinoa and buckwheat breads

Efecto de la incorporación de puré deshidratado de mandioca en la textura de masas para pasta

The possibility of replacing wheat with non-conventional flours in the production of pasta still represents a technological challenge. This work aimed to study the effect of replacing wheat flour with dehydrated cassavapuree on the texture of pasta doughs. Formulations were made by substituting 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% wheatflour for dehydrated cassava puree. A control dough was formulated with 100% wheat flour to obtain a reference behavior. The moisture was determined at 105°C. Hardness, cohesiveness, elasticity, consistency, toughness, andextensibility were analyzed with a texturometer. Dehydrated cassava puree caused a drop in moisture content andalso a significant difference in the texture of the substituted doughs. The doughs with dehydrated cassava puree were harder, more cohesive, elastic, consistent, and resistant to elongation than the control, however, they were less extensible. It was concluded that the low moisture presented by the doughs substituted with dehydratedcassava puree is responsible, in part, for the changes in their texture.

Physicochemical, calorimetric and texture profile characteristics of various gluten-free flours.

It is important to understand how the composition and structure of proteins from other flours differ from proteins in wheat, in order to have a better option to substitute gluten products with gluten-free food products. The aim of this study was the characterization of gluten-free flours and comparison of their rheological and calorimetric properties against wheat flour, for its use as gluten-free alternative. Chemical composition analysis, water solubility index (WSI), water absorption index (WAI), texture and calorimetric profile were determined. The closest WAI to wheat flour (1.45 g gel/g sample) was corn flour (2.41 g gel/g sample), while the WSI of chickpea flour was 5.51% approaching that of wheat flour of 5.88%. The hardness and adhesiveness values closest to wheat (1.65 kgf and 0.03 mJ) were amaranth flour with 0.85 kgf and 0.01 mJ, respectively. The phenolic content and antioxidant capacity were higher in the corn and bean flours with 244.4 mg GAE/100 g, 148 mg GAE/100 g and 190 mg AAE/100 g and 170 mg AAE/100 g, respectively. The combination of these non-conventional flours can be an innovative source of gluten-free formulas.

Production of functional crackers based on non-conventional flours. Study of the physicochemical and sensory properties

Production of functional crackers based on non-conventional flours. Study of the physicochemical and sensory properties

Gluten-Free Crackers Based on Chickpea and Pumpkin Seed Press Cake Flour: Nutritional, Functional and Sensory Properties.

Despite the growing trend of the gluten-free market and the presence of a wide range of gluten-free products, there are still some shortcomings in nutritional and sensory quality of these products. The commercially available gluten-free products are characterised as products of inferior nutritional quality, particularly in terms of protein and dietary fibre content and with high glycaemic index. On the other hand, from a sensory point of view, gluten-free products usually have inappropriate textural and mechanical properties, poor mouthfeel and flavour. This is a consequence of the limiting choice of raw materials that mainly possess large amount of carbohydrate components. Chickpea flour and two types of pumpkin seed press cake flour (virgin and cold pressed), at two substitution mass fractions (20 and 35%), were blended to produce gluten-free crackers without the presence of conventional gluten-free starch-rich ingredients. This study aims to investigate the effect of these non-conventional flours on nutritional and physicochemical properties, sensory acceptability, antioxidant activity and glycaemic index of crackers. All produced crackers can bear nutritional claims 'high fibre', 'source of protein' and 'source of minerals'. Replacing chickpea flour with pumpkin seed press cake flour increased protein and total phenolic content and enhanced antioxidant activity. The selected combination of raw materials allows the production of gluten-free crackers with a moderate glycaemic index. Besides nutrient content, the addition of cold-pressed flour increased overall sensory acceptability, noticeably improving taste and flavour scores compared to the control and crackers with virgin pumpkin seed flour. To the best of our knowledge, there is no study investigating the use of chickpea and pumpkin seed press cake flour blend without using conventional gluten-free flour and starch. The used non-conventional flour represents complementary raw materials in terms of protein quality and valuable alternatives to produce nutrient-rich, health-promoting gluten-free crackers with reduced glycaemic response and acceptable sensory properties.

Accumulation and Transformation of Biogenic Amines and Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) in Chickpea Sourdough.

In general, sourdough fermentation leads to an improvement in the technological, nutritional, and sensory properties of bakery products. The use of non-conventional flours with a specific autochthonous microbiota may lead to the formation of secondary metabolites, which may even have undesirable physiological and toxicological effects. Chickpea flours from different suppliers have been used to produce sourdoughs by spontaneous and inoculated fermentations. The content of nutritionally undesirable biogenic amines (BA) and beneficial gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) was determined by chromatography. Fenugreek sprouts, which are a rich source of amine oxidases, were used to reduce the BA content in the sourdoughs. Spontaneous fermentation resulted in a high accumulation of cadaverine, putrescine, and tyramine for certain flours. The use of commercial starter cultures was not effective in reducing the accumulation of BA in all sourdoughs. The addition of fenugreek sprouts to the suspension of sourdough with pH raised to 6.5 resulted in a significant reduction in BA contents. Enzymatic oxidation was less efficient during kneading. Baking resulted in only a partial degradation of BA and GABA in the crust and not in the crumb. Therefore, it could be suggested to give more importance to the control of sourdough fermentation with regard to the formation of nutritionally undesirable BA and to exploit the possibilities of their degradation.

Extrusion pregelatinization improves texture, viscoelasticity and in vitro starch digestibility of mango and amaranth flours

Non-conventional flours from unripe fruits and pseudocereals have potential as functional ingredients given their high protein contents and antioxidant activity. Pregelatinized starch and flours are increasingly used in gluten-free foods and as fat substitutes. The present work aimed to address the effect of extruding pregelatinization in the viscoelasticity and in vitro starch digestibility of amaranth and mango flours. Differences in starch, protein, and lipid contents between these flours were shown, which impacted the characteristics of the extruded flours. The gelatinization degree was 51% (amaranth) and 56% (mango). FTIR analysis showed that extrusion disrupted the hydrated and short-range ordered starch structure. Amaranth flour presented higher content of slowly digestible starch (41.13% raw and 49.39% extruded flour), which can be due to its higher protein conten (18.3%) with the potential of forming complexes with starch. A principal component analysis revealed that extrusion had a strong effect on the properties of both flours.

Structural characteristics and in vitro starch digestibility of pasta made with durum wheat semolina and chickpea flour

Chickpea flour contains large fractions of protein and dietary fiber, which offer benefits for human health. This work studied the characteristics and in vitro starch digestibility of pastas with blends of semolina and chickpea flour. Texture analysis showed that chickpea flour induced significant reductions in hardness and elasticity of cooked pasta. The addition of the chickpea increased protein solubility (150–200%). The accessible thiols showed a marked increase, indicating that the formation of a protein network relied on sulfhydryl crosslinking between proteins and other pasta components. FTIR analysis showed that the above characteristics may be linked to the secondary structure of proteins since chickpea tend to form structures with a high content of β-sheet configurations. The main advantage of using chickpea is in the in vitro digestibility since the effective starch content decreased from 74.67 ± 0.95 g/100 g for semolina pasta to 41.25 ± 1.17 g/100 g for chickpea pasta. The rapidly and slowly digestible starch fractions exhibited notable reductions of up 45%, which was attributed to the formation of complexes and to protective physical barriers of proteins on the starch granule. Non-conventional flours offer certain benefits for pasta formulations, but also certain challenges to stabilizing the pasta structure. • β-sheet is the dominant fraction in the secondary structure of chickpea proteins. • High values of accessible thiols group are linked to crosslinking between proteins and other pasta components. • Chickpea flour addition reduced the total starch content of semolina pasta. • The content of slowly digestible and resistant starches was up to 78 g/100 g db pasta.

Evaluation of the behaviour of unripe banana flour with non-conventional flours in the production of gluten-free bread.

Gluten-free breads were developed by incorporating unripe banana flour in a blend of alternative flour/cassava starch, 45/50. A factorial design was applied to determine the simultaneous effect of percentage of unripe banana flour (2, 8, 15%) and the type of alternative flour (quinoa, oyster mushroom, yellow pea and lentil flour) on structural and colour properties of bread. Principal component analysis was used to evaluate the behaviour of the formulations from a comprehensive perspective. Three formulations, denoted as P8 (pea + 8% unripe banana flour), Q15 (quinoa + 15% unripe banana flour) and L15 (lentil + 15% unripe banana flour) exhibited the closest profiles to reference (wheat bread). Breads with oyster mushroom flour showed a profile significantly different from the rest of formulations. The interactions among the factors were significant for all studied properties and showed that the unripe banana flour fortification did not lead to proportional responses on the bread properties, but the behaviour of unripe banana flour in breadmaking relied on the percentage and the type of alternative flour used. The P8, Q15 and L15 exhibited high fibre content and carbohydrate content lower than the reference. In addition, P8 formulation can be classified as intermediate glycaemic index.

Quality Characteristics of Breads Produced from Millet-African Bread Fruit Composite Flours

The proximate, mineral and sensory properties of millet-African bread fruit composite flour breads were investigated. The blends of millet and African bread fruit flour (90: 10, 80: 20, 70:30 and 60: 40) were used in the production of composite bread samples with 100% wheat flour bread as control. The bread samples produced were evaluated for proximate, mineral and sensory properties using standard methods. The moisture, crude protein, fat, ash and crude fibre contents of the bread samples increased significantly (p<0.05) with increase in substitution with African bread fruit flour from 8.81-9.31%, 9.79-12.55%, 2.84-3.59%, 3.75-4.16% and 2.99-3.78%, respectively, while the carbohydrate decreased from 71.81- 66.61%. The mineral content of the samples showed that the calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron and magnesium contents of the bread loaves ranged from 10.30- 13.27mg /100g, 4.53-6.39mg/100g, 5.09-7.57mg/100g, 3.97-6.11mg/100g and 3.82-5.76mg/100g, respectively. The control (100% wheat flour breads) and the composite bread samples made with 60% millet flour and 40% African bread fruit flour had the least and highest values for all the minerals evaluated. The sensory properties of the bread samples also showed that the level of likeness of the sensory attributes: crust colour, taste, crumb colour, flavour, texture and overall acceptability decreased gradually with increased substitution of African bread fruit flour. The study, however, showed that the macro and micronutrient contents and sensory properties of millet-African bread fruit composite breads could be improved by supplementing millet flour with African bread fruit flour at the levels of 10-30%, thus extending the use of non-conventional flours in the production of bread loaves.

Recent Advances in the Use of Sourdough Biotechnology in Pasta Making.

The growing consumers’ request for foods with well-balanced nutritional profile and functional properties promotes research on innovation in pasta making. As a staple food and a common component of diet, pasta can be considered as a vector of dietary fiber, vegetable proteins, vitamins, minerals, and functional compounds. The conventional process for pasta production does not include a fermentation step. However, novel recipes including sourdough-fermented ingredients have been recently proposed, aiming at enhancing the nutritional and functional properties of this product and at enriching commercial offerings with products with new sensorial profiles. The use of sourdough for pasta fortification has been investigated under several aspects, including fortification in vitamin B, the reduction of starch digestibility, and gluten content. Sourdough fermentation has also been successfully applied to non-conventional flours, (e.g., from pseudocereals and legumes), in which an overall increase of the nutritional value and health-promoting compounds, such as a significant decrease of antinutritional factors, were observed. Fermented non-conventional flours, obtained through spontaneous fermentation or using selected starters, have been proposed as pasta ingredients. As the result of wheat replacement, modification in textural properties of pasta may occur. Nonetheless, fermentation represents an efficient tool in improving, besides nutritional and functional profile, the sensory and technological features of fortified pasta.

Novel insights on the functional/nutritional features of the sourdough fermentation

As one of the most traditional biotechnologies, sourdough fermentation has deep effects on rheology, sensory and shelf life attributes of baked goods. The most recent literature has also highlighted the effects of sourdough fermentations on several functional/nutritional features of baked goods. While some aspects such as the potential to lower glycemic index, increase mineral bioavailability and decrease the gluten content have been proven almost definitively, others potentialities are emerging, which deserve novel insights. This reviews reports the main evidence on the use of sourdough fermentation for salt reduction in baked goods, management of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), synthesis/release of bioactive compounds, especially the metabolism of phenolic compounds, and exploitation of the potential of non-conventional flours (legumes and pseudo-cereals) and milling by-products (bran and germ). A brief description on the spiritual, cultural and functional/nutritional significance of leavened bread throughout centuries has also given.

Multivariable Analysis of Gluten-Free Pasta Elaborated with Non-Conventional Flours Based on the Phenolic Profile, Antioxidant Capacity and Color.

The phenolic compounds, color and antioxidant capacity of gluten-free pasta prepared with non-conventional flours such as chickpea (CHF), unripe plantain (UPF), white maize (WMF) and blue maize (BMF) were analyzed. Fifteen phenolic compounds (five anthocyanins, five hydroxybenzoic acids, three hydroxycinnamic acids, one hydroxyphenylacetic acid and one flavonol) were identified in pasta prepared with blue maize, and 10 compounds were identified for samples prepared with white maize. The principal component analysis (PCA) led to results describing 98% of the total variance establishing a clear separation for each pasta. Both the proportion (25, 50 and 75%) and type of maize flour (white and blue) affected the color parameters (L*, C ab *, h ab and ΔE* ab ) and antioxidant properties (DPPH, ABTS and FRAP methods) of samples, thus producing gluten-free products with potential health benefits intended for general consumers (including the population with celiac disease).

Studies on suitability of wheat flour blends with sweet potato, colocasia and water chestnut flours for noodle making

Blends of refined wheat flour (RWF) with colocasia (CF), sweet potato (SPF) and water chestnut (WCF) flours respectively at replacement level of 25 g/100 g were assessed for their suitability for noodles making. All the native flours as well as their blends with RWF exhibited restricted swelling behavior. Incorporation of SPF or CF into RWF decreased the peak viscosity of flour blends. Noodles prepared from respective flour blends of SPF and CF with RWF showed lower cooking time, higher cooked weight, higher water uptake and higher gruel solid loss in comparison to control sample (RWF noodles). Among blend flours noodles, RWF and SPF blend noodles were rated superior for their organoleptic/eating characteristics of slipperiness, firmness, appearance but undesirable high value of tooth packing. Noodle with acceptable quality characteristics and decreased level of gluten, which may prove beneficial for celiac persons, can be developed using RWF blends with non-conventional flours like colocasia, sweet potato and water chestnut.

Sourdough lactic acid bacteria: Exploration of non-wheat cereal-based fermentation

Cereal-based foods represent a very important source of biological as well as of cultural diversity, as testified by the wide range of derived fermented products. A trend that is increasingly attracting bakery industries as well as consumers is the use of non-conventional flours for the production of novel products, characterised by peculiar flavour and better nutritional value. Lactic acid bacteria microbiota of several non-wheat cereals and pseudo-cereals has been recently deeply investigated with the aim of studying the biodiversity and finding starter cultures for sourdough fermentation. Currently, the use of ancient or ethnic grains is mainly limited to traditional typical foods and the bread making process is not well standardised with consequent negative effects on the final properties. The challenge in fermenting such grains is represented by the necessity to combine good technology and sensory properties with nutritional/health benefits. The choice of the starter cultures has a critical impact on the final quality of cereal-based products, and strains that dominate and outcompete contaminants should be applied for specific sourdough fermentations. In this sense, screening and characterisation of the lactic acid bacteria microbiota is very useful in the improvement of a peculiar flour, from both a nutritional and technological point of view.

Synthesis of the Cancer Preventive Peptide Lunasin by Lactic Acid Bacteria During Sourdough Fermentation

This study aimed to exploit the potential of sourdough lactic acid bacteria to release lunasin during fermentation of cereal and nonconventional flours. The peptidase activities of a large number of sourdough lactic acid bacteria were screened using synthetic substrates. Selected lactic acid bacteria were used as sourdough starters to ferment wholemeal wheat, soybean, barley, amaranth, and rye flours. Proteinase activity during fermentation was characterized by SDS-PAGE analysis of the water-soluble extracts. Albumins having molecular masses of 18 to 22 kDa, which included the size of lunasin precursors, were markedly affected by proteolysis of lactic acid bacteria. After fermentation, lunasin from the water-soluble extracts was quantified, purified, and identified through RP-HPLC and nano-LC-ESI-MS analyses. Compared to control doughs, the concentration of lunasin increased up to 2–4 times during fermentation. Lactobacillus curvatus SAL33 and Lactobacillus brevis AM7 synthesized the highest concentrations of lunasin in all the flours. Besides the presence of the entire lunasin sequence, fragments containing the immunoreactive epitope RGDDDDDDDDD were also found. This study shows that fermentation by lactic acid bacteria increased the concentration of lunasin to levels that would suggest new possibilities for the biological synthesis and for the formulation of functional foods.

A MULTISTEP OPTIMIZATION APPROACH FOR THE PRODUCTION OF HEALTHFUL PASTA BASED ON NONCONVENTIONAL FLOURS

ABSTRACTA multistep approach is proposed in this study for optimizing the production process of pasta based on nonconventional flours. The spaghetti samples obtained in the first experimental phase (Step 1) were in quinoa and oat base. In the second step (Step 2), legume flour was added. In the next phase (Step 3), oat was substituted with maize. In the final phase (Step 4), quinoa, maize and soy were used. The dough rheological properties and the sensorial parameters of spaghetti were evaluated. In Step 1, the sample with 60% of quinoa, 10% of pregelatinized quinoa and 30% of oat had appropriate firmness to be extruded. The legume flour added to the dough in Step 2 increased its viscosity. In Step 3, the added maize brought about lower values of viscosity. The spaghetti manufactured in Step 4 had viscosity values similar to that of the previous step but close to that of the durum wheat semolina dough.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONHigh protein flours can be added to the semolina or be a substitute in production of nonconventional kinds of “pasta” with healthy characteristics or directed to specific targets, such as people following a celiac diet. The amount of nonconventional flour that can be added to or substituted for semolina represents a compromise between nutritional improvement of the pasta and achievement of satisfactory sensory and functional properties. The present work is focused on the manufacturing of spaghetti based on quinoa, oat, chickpea, broad bean, maize and soy flours. A multistep approach is proposed for optimizing the production process of pasta. Moreover, for each experimental step, the rheological properties of the doughs and the sensory characteristics of the spaghetti samples were evaluated. Results of this study could provide the industry useful information about potential utilizing of different grains in food formulations and product development for new functional foods.

An investigation of the bacteriocinogenic potential of lactic acid bacteria associated with wheat ( Triticum durum) kernels and non-conventional flours

One hundred and thirty-seven lactic acid bacteria (LAB), previously isolated from wheat (Triticum durum) grains and non-conventional flour samples, were tested for the production of antibacterial substances. A total of 16 strains (5 Enterococcus faecium, 5 Enterococcus mundtii, 4 Pediococcus pentosaceus, 1 Lactobacillus coryniformis and 1 Lactococcus garvieae) were found to inhibit the growth of Listeria innocua. The antibacterial activities were preliminarily investigated for their general behaviour with proteolytic (proteinase K, protease B and trypsin), amylolytic (α-amylase) and lipolytic (lipase) enzymes, after heat treatment, and exposure to different pHs and ethanol concentrations. Bacteriocin-like inhibitory substances (BLIS) were also characterized for their inhibition spectra against non-pathogenic and pathogenic food-associated and human pathogenic bacteria. LAB showing the best characteristics in terms of inhibition spectrum, inhibition activity and mode of action (bactericidal) belonged to the species Ent. mundtii. The high percentage (11.68%) of BLIS-producing strains detected confirmed previous observations that raw materials may harbour higher numbers of bacteriocinogenic LAB than fermented foods.

A taxonomic survey of lactic acid bacteria isolated from wheat (Triticum durum) kernels and non-conventional flours

In order to explore the correspondence between raw material- and mature sourdough-lactic acid bacterial (LAB) communities, 59 Italian wheat (Triticum durum) grain samples, one bran and six non-conventional flour samples were analyzed through a culture-dependent approach. The highest cell count by an agar medium specific for LAB was 2.16 log CFU/g. From about 2300 presumptive LAB (Gram-positive and catalase-negative) colonies collected, a total of 356 isolates were subjected to identification by a genetic polyphasic strategy consisting of RAPD-PCR analysis, partial 16S rRNA gene sequencing, species-specific and multiplex PCRs. The isolates were recognized as 137 strains belonging to Aerococcus, Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, Lactococcus and Pediococcus genera and a phylogram based on partial 16S rRNA genes was constructed. The species most frequently found were Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus mundtii and Lactobacillus graminis, which are not generally reported to be typical in mature sourdoughs.