Mineral and Phytic Acid Content as Well as Phytase Activity in Flours and Breads Made from Different Wheat Species

Abstract

Wheat is of high importance for a healthy and sustainable diet for the growing world population, partly due to its high mineral content. However, several minerals are bound in a phytate complex in the grain and unavailable to humans. We performed a series of trials to compare the contents of minerals and phytic acid as well as phytase activity in several varieties from alternative wheat species spelt, emmer and einkorn with common wheat. Additionally, we investigated the potential of recent popular bread making recipes in German bakeries to reduce phytic acid content, and thus increase mineral bioavailability in bread. For all studied ingredients, we found considerable variance both between varieties within a species and across wheat species. For example, whole grain flours, particularly from emmer and einkorn, appear to have higher mineral content than common wheat, but also a higher phytic acid content with similar phytase activity. Bread making recipes had a greater effect on phytic acid content in the final bread than the choice of species for whole grain flour production. Recipes with long yeast proofing or sourdough and the use of whole grain rye flour in a mixed wheat bread minimized the phytic acid content in the bread. Consequently, optimizing food to better nourish a growing world requires close collaboration between research organizations and practical stakeholders ensuring a streamlined sustainable process from farm to fork.

Genetic Variability for Grain Components Related to Nutritional Quality in Spelt and Common Wheat

“…However, all spelt genotypes showed higher PA content than the common wheat checks, which could reduce the bioavailability of Fe and Zn due to its chelate-forming ability . The same trend was found by Longin et al The higher PA values in the spelt group lead to higher PA:Fe or Zn molar ratios than in the common wheat checks in most cases, something in principle negative from the nutritional point of view. The negative impact of PA could be modulated by cultural practices during food preparation: for example, the proofing and fermentation process during baking has been shown to reduce the PA content; , therefore, in regions where that practice is applied, a high PA content should have a lower negative impact on Fe and Zn bioavailability.…”

“…The same trend was found by Longin et al The higher PA values in the spelt group lead to higher PA:Fe or Zn molar ratios than in the common wheat checks in most cases, something in principle negative from the nutritional point of view. The negative impact of PA could be modulated by cultural practices during food preparation: for example, the proofing and fermentation process during baking has been shown to reduce the PA content; , therefore, in regions where that practice is applied, a high PA content should have a lower negative impact on Fe and Zn bioavailability. In addition to this, PA has been proven to be a powerful antioxidant with beneficial effects in several diseases such as cancer, increased cholesterol level, and diabetes .…”

Reference proteomes of five wheat species as starting point for future design of cultivars with lower allergenic potential

“…In addition to the lower amount of potential allergens with yet lacking clinical proof described above, einkorn contains more protein and considerably higher amounts of valuable trace compounds compared with common wheat, such as vitamin E, luteins, steryl ferulates 60 , 61 , minerals like Fe and Zn 62 in addition to several other minerals such as Ca, Cu, K, Mg, Mn, P, and S 63 – all these compounds being important for a healthy diet 61 , 62 . However, the bioavailability of these compounds in breads and other cereal products and their impact on human health have yet not been investigated warranting urgent further research.…”

Enrichment of a local sourdough bread with zinc and selenium through the use of biofortified whole wheat flour

“…In another study, in leavened breads obtained from agronomically biofortified whole grain flour, zinc and selenium concentrations were found to be 26 mg/kg and 177.7 μg/kg, respectively (Çakmak et al ., 2020). In this case, the SFs bread had an important potential for the elimination of zinc and selenium deficiencies, with increased mineral bioavailability ensured by the elimination of phytates with sourdough production (Longin et al ., 2023). Interestingly, the Se content of the A yeast combination, in which more sourdough was used, was statistically higher than the B combination in the study.…”

“…It is demanded that the results turn into the final product as soon as possible. For this purpose, sourdough breads are valuable products with high microelement bioavailability (Rodehutscord et al ., 2022) and low phytate concentration (Longin et al ., 2023). The study investigated the use of sourdough bread flour and biofortified whole wheat flour (BWWF) to obtain bread enriched in zinc (Zn), selenium (Se), and other nutrients.…”