2024-09-20 08:15:17
Bread is a basic food in our diet. It is in a popular place as a source of nutrients, accompanying other foods and playing a central role in breakfasts, lunches and dinners around the world. But its importance is not limited to its flavor or sexuality. Bread, especially whole-grain, high-fiber versions, provides complex carbohydrates that release sustained energy, essential for a balanced diet.
New research shows that with a small amount of dried vegetables (2% of the recipe) in the preparation of the flat has positive effects on the skin, color and, above all, on its nutritional properties. Research shows that the inclusion of these ingredients in bread affects the digestion of starch, improving the glycemic response after eating.
The research was carried out by a team that included experts from the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA), attached to the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) in Spain.
The LINCE group, a working group from the IATA Cereals and Derived Products Group, analyzed the inclusion of vegetables such as spinach, chard, beets or onions and their effect on the properties of flat breads, a type of bread made with flour broad, without sourness or yeast. Flat bread is one of the oldest and most eaten breads in the world, especially in the Mediterranean. In addition to being a special food, flat bread has advantages: it has a simple and quick preparation process, and there are many different recipes in many styles.
The work uses an experimental method in which different dry vegetables are mixed into flat flour and many technical and nutritional properties are analyzed, such as fiber content, minerals, color and texture. In addition, starch digestibility was measured using an in vitro analysis to evaluate how these elements affect the speed of digestion. “These ingredients can be used not only in flat breads, but also in other bakery products that come to innovate in terms of nutrition and health benefits,” Raquel Garzón, CSIC scientist at IATA and said the study’s co-author.
The results show that with money or chard improves the mineral content of the flat; Black and green olives are high in healthy fat content; The beet and tomato affect the color and hardness of the bread; The addition of sprouts improves the protein profile of the diet; and artichokes or carrots are good for fiber. In addition, lemon and tomato reduce in vitro starch digestion. “Dried vegetables are natural, innovative and sustainable materials with the potential to improve the technical and nutritional properties of flatbread,” argued María Santamaría and María Ruiz, CSIC researchers at IATA who participated in the study .
Some of the flat breads used in the study, with vegetables added to their preparation. (Photo: IATA/CSIC)
Healthy bakery products
Bread is one of the foods with the highest carbohydrate content and the effect on the glycemic index, blood sugar, directly affects the diet of people with diabetes. “In the last ten years we have studied various ideas to reduce the glycemic index of bread, and the inclusion of sources of bioactive compounds is one of them,” Cristina M. Rosell, who led the study explained.
“In this study we have used dried vegetables because of their high content of bioactive compounds, especially polyphenolic compounds, which can act by reducing starch digestibility. With this choice we have managed to develop healthy cake products and offer new experiences to customers, especially due to the variety of colors and flavors,” said Cristina M. Rosell.
Flat bread is high in carbohydrates, especially quickly digestible starch, which contributes to a high glycemic index. This practice has allowed us to study the glycemic effect of the inclusion of dry vegetables. “Through these elements, traditional food can be transformed into a more sensible and innovative option,” explained the IATA research team.
The research has been developed within the framework of the European PRIMA FlatBreadMine project, by Patricia LeBail at the National Institute for Agronomic Research (INRA) in France.
The study is titled “Comparison of vegetable powders as ingredients of flat breads: technical and nutritional properties.” And it has been published in the academic journal International Journal of Food Science and Technology. (Source: Isidoro García / CSIC)
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