Technological and Nutritional Aspects of Bread Production: An Overview of Current Status and Future Challenges

Abstract

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.

Keywords: dietary fiber; enhanced food; health benefits; leguminous flours; organoleptic characteristics; wheat bread.

Figure 2

Different countries’ annual per capita bread consumption. Data reported in 2021 for Russia [29], 2019 for Iran [30], 2019 for Turkey [27], and 2019 for France [31]. Data reported in 2019 for Italy [25], 2022 for Argentina [32], 2020 for Brazil [33], and 2020 for Mexico [7].

Figure 1

The chemical structure of the polymers presents in starch.

Figure 3

Dough components and factors that influence fermentation.

Figure 4

Formation of flavor compounds during the Maillard reaction.

Figure 5

Starch gelatinization and retrogradation.