Whey protein and sourdough ferment were used in different combinations to prepare functional sponge cakes, and their mutual influence on batter rheological behaviour as well as product physico–chemical, textural, colour and sensory properties were evaluated. All samples containing whey protein concentrate could bear the nutrition claim ‘a source of protein’. The substitution of wheat flour with whey protein significantly influenced batter viscoelastic behaviour, lowered cake-specific volume, increased product hardness, chewiness, gumminess, and browning index and modified its sensory characteristics. The incorporation of sourdough in protein-enriched sponge cakes improved product-specific volume and appearance compared to a protein-containing sample without sourdough. Although sourdough addition has less of a deteriorating effect on sponge cake rheological and textural properties, when combined with whey protein, it led to a significant reduction in batter elasticity and an increase in product hardness. It was also shown that spontaneously fermented sourdough cannot act as the only leavening agent in sponge cake production. In general, the results of this study have shown that sourdough addition can contribute to improvement in protein-enriched sponge cake quality and that further investigations are necessary in terms of different sourdough and flour type incorporation to minimize the negative effects of protein addition.

This study aimed to determine the impact of ancient wheat varieties (emmer, spelt and khorasan) and spontaneous sourdough fermentation on the bioaccessibility of total phenolic content (TPC) and the DPPH antioxidant capacity evolution during breadmaking and in vitro digestion. Sourdough and yeast-fermented modern wheat breads were used as controls. After 6 h of fermentation, the total titrable acidity of the sourdough increased from 139 to 167%. The wheat variety, type of fermentation and processing affected TPC, antioxidant activity and bioaccessibility. Antioxidant activity and TPC were reduced by dough mixing, increased after sourdough fermentation and slightly decreased or remained the same after baking. Although wheat flour had the highest TPC, the modeling of TPC kinetic revealed that emmer and spelt sourdough exhibited a higher bound phenolics release rate due to the higher acidity, which contributed to increased phenolics solubility. Although wheat bread, both before and after digestion, had the lowest TPC, especially the one prepared with yeast, high TPC bioaccessibilities and antioxidant activities after the digestion suggested that, except phenolics, digestion process improved the release of additional compounds with different bioaccessibility and biological activity. The results of this study proved that the application of sourdough fermentation can increase the potential of ancient wheats in the developing of functional bakery products.

Gluten-free cookies based on rice and chickpea flour with reduced-fat and increased protein content compared with conventional commercial gluten-free cookies were developed and used as a base for further vegetable fat replacement with chia seed hydrogel. Rheological properties of chia seed hydrogel revealed that 8% gels exhibited the optimal properties as a fat substitute. Designed cookie samples were characterized for their chemical composition, fatty acid profile, mineral content, physical, textural and color parameters, and sensory properties. All gluten-free cookies developed in this study could be labeled as “a source of iron and potassium”, while those with chia seed hydrogel and cocoa powder could bear the additional claim “high in zinc and magnesium”. Fat replacement with chia seed hydrogel resulted in a more favorable fatty acid composition with a PUFA/SFA ratio over 0.40 and nonsignificant changes in the cookies’ hardness, weight, eccentricity, and specific volume, indicating that the chia seed hydrogel addition did not disturb the cookie structure and texture. The results of the sensory analysis confirmed that it is possible to apply chia seed hydrogel to produce reduced-fat cookies with sensory properties comparable to their full-fat counterpart and available commercial samples, and they are more appealing than commercial reduced-fat gluten-free cookies.

Sour cherry pomace filling (SCPF) and commercial sour cherry filling (CSCF) produced on a semi-industrial scale were tested and compared in terms of food safety, chemical composition, bioactivity, quality, sensory properties and thermal stability. Both samples were safe for human consumption, thermally stable and there was a lack of syneresis. SCPF had a significantly higher fiber concentration (3.79 g/100 g) due to higher skin fraction and is considered a “source of fibers”. The higher skin fraction in SCPF also resulted in a higher mineral quantity (Fe—3.83 mg/kg fw) in comparison to CSCF (Fe—2.87 mg/kg fw). Anthocyanins concentration was lower in SCPF (7.58 mg CGE/100 g fw), suggesting that a significant amount of anthocyanins was removed from SC skin during juice extraction. However, there was a lack of statistical differences in antioxidant activity between the two fillings. CSCF was more spreadable, not as firm and less sticky, with lower storage and loss modulus values than SCPF. However, both fillings exhibited acceptable rheological and textural behaviour for fruit fillings. According to the consumer pastry test, 28 participants preferred each pastry; thus, there was a lack of preference toward any of the tested samples. SCP could be used as a raw material for the bakery fruit fillings industry, which leads to the valorization of food industry by-products.

Research background. 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 of these products in terms of nutritional and sensory quality. 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 glycemic index. On the other hand, from a sensory point of view, gluten-free products usually show inappropriate textural and mechanical properties, poor mouthfeel and flavour. This is a consequence of the limiting choice of raw materials that mainly possess large share of carbohydrate components. Experimental approach. Chickpea flour (ChF) and two types of pumpkin seed press cake flour (virgin (VF) and cold pressed (CF)), at two substitution levels (20 and 35 %, m/m) were blend to produce gluten-free crackers without the presence of conventional gluten-free starch-rich ingredients. This study aims to investigate the suitability of using these non-conventional flours on nutritional and physico-chemical properties, sensory acceptability, antioxidant activity and glycemic index of crackers. Results and conclusions. All produced crackers can bear a nutritional claims "high fibre", "source of protein", "source of minerals". Replacing ChF with VF and CF 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 glycemic index. Besides nutrient content, CF addition increased overall sensory acceptability, noticeably improving taste and flavour scores compared to Control and VF containing counterparts. Novelty and scientific contribution. 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 flours and starches. The used non-conventional flours represent complementary raw materials in terms of protein quality and valuable alternatives to produce nutrient dense, health promoting gluten-free crackers with reduced glycemic response and acceptable sensory properties.