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Comparative Study
. 2017 Nov 11;9(11):1232.
doi: 10.3390/nu9111232.

Integrated Evaluation of the Potential Health Benefits of Einkorn-Based Breads

Fabiana Antognoni  1 , Roberto Mandrioli  2 , Alessandra Bordoni  3 , Mattia Di Nunzio  4 , Blanca Viadel  5 , Elisa Gallego  6 , María Paz Villalba  7 , Lidia Tomás-Cobos  8 , Danielle Laure Taneyo Saa  9 , Andrea Gianotti  10
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Integrated Evaluation of the Potential Health Benefits of Einkorn-Based Breads

Fabiana Antognoni et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Nowadays the high nutritional value of whole grains is recognized, and there is an increasing interest in the ancient varieties for producing wholegrain food products with enhanced nutritional characteristics. Among ancient crops, einkorn could represent a valid alternative. In this work, einkorn flours were analyzed for their content in carotenoids and in free and bound phenolic acids, and compared to wheat flours. The most promising flours were used to produce conventional and sourdough fermented breads. Breads were in vitro digested, and characterized before and after digestion. The four breads having the best characteristics were selected, and the product of their digestion was used to evaluate their anti-inflammatory effect using Caco-2 cells. Our results confirm the higher carotenoid levels in einkorn than in modern wheats, and the effectiveness of sourdough fermentation in maintaining these levels, despite the longer exposure to atmospheric oxygen. Moreover, in cultured cells einkorn bread evidenced an anti-inflammatory effect, although masked by the effect of digestive fluid. This study represents the first integrated evaluation of the potential health benefit of einkorn-based bakery products compared to wheat-based ones, and contributes to our knowledge of ancient grains.

Keywords: Caco-2 cells; anti-inflammatory effect; bread; carotenoids; einkorn; in vitro digestion; phenolic acids; sourdough fermentation; wheat.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funding sponsors had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analysis, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, and in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Lutein (A) and zeaxanthin (B) content in AF and SF samples. Results are the mean ± SD of two independent experiments with duplicate samples. Different letters indicate significant differences at p < 0.05. AF = ancient flour; SF = standard flour; S = Spanish flour; P = Polish flour.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Lutein (A) and zeaxanthin (B) content in AF and SF breads prepared by CF or SSF or SAF as the starter flour. Results are the mean ± SD of two independent experiments with duplicate samples. Different letters indicate significant differences at p < 0.05. AF = ancient flour; SF = standard flour; CF = conventional fermentation; SSF = sourdough obtained from standard flour; SAF = sourdough obtained from ancient flour.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Ferulic acid content in the FREE (A), SC (B), and IB (C) fractions obtained from AF and SF breads prepared by CF or SSF or SAF as the starter flour. Results are the mean ± SD of two independent experiments with duplicate samples. Different letters indicate significant differences at p < 0.05. AF = ancient flour; SF = standard flour; CF = conventional fermentation; SAF = sourdough obtained from ancient flour; SSF = sourdough obtained from standard flour.
Figure 4
Figure 4
ORAC of extracts containing FREE (A), SC (B), and IB (C) phenolic acid fractions of bread samples. AF and SF breads were prepared by CF or SSF or SAF as the starter flour. Results are expressed as µmol TE/g DW and are the mean ± SD of two independent experiments with duplicate samples. Different letters indicate significant differences at p < 0.05. AF = ancient flour; SF = standard flour; CF = conventional fermentation; SAF = sourdough obtained from ancient flour; SSF = sourdough obtained from standard flour.
Figure 5
Figure 5
IL-6 (A) and IL-8 (B) secretion in basal condition and after IL-1β stimulation. Data are means ± SD of at least 4 samples derived from 2 independent experiments, and are expressed as the percentage of the value obtained in control, not stimulated cells (assigned as 100%). Different letters indicate statistical significance (p < 0.05). C = control, B = supplemented with blank digesta; US = unsupplemented; AF = ancient flour; SF = standard flour; CF = conventional fermentation; SAF = sourdough obtained from ancient flour; SSF = sourdough obtained from standard flour.
Figure 6
Figure 6
JAK-STAT pathway activation in HEK-Blue™ IL-6 cells exposed to Caco-2 cells media. Data are means ± SD of at least 4 samples derived from 2 independent experiments, and are expressed as the percentage of the value obtained in control cells (assigned as 1). Different letters indicate statistical significance (p < 0.05). C = control, B = supplemented with blank digesta; US = unsupplemented; AF = ancient flour; SF = standard flour; CF = conventional fermentation; SAF = sourdough obtained from ancient flour; SSF = sourdough obtained from standard flour.
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