Chemical composition and nutritional quality of wholegrain bread from Belgrade market

Abstract

Introduction: There is a growing number of epidemiological evidences that wholegrain products may reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, some forms of cancers, as well as obesity. The beneficial health effects are due to the presence of many biologically active compounds, which are located in the outer layer and germ fraction of the grain. Therefore, the higher intake of wholegrain foodstuffs is recommended. Wholegrain bread, locally known as brown bread, is the most common foodstuff of this type in Serbian diet. Objectives: The objective of this paper was to assess the quality indicators, basic chemical composition, and fiber profile of wholegrain breads sampled from Belgrade supermarkets and bakeries. Method / Design: In total 8 different samples of wholegrain bread were analyzed. The nutritional quality of samples was evaluated by common physicochemical analyses (contents of protein, ash, water, crude fiber, acid degree, sodium chloride, starch). Enzymatic methods were used for determination of fiber profile (resistant starch, beta-glucan, fructans, and arabinoxylan). Also, sensory characteristics were assessed. Results: During evaluation of the sensory quality all samples fulfilled the regulatory requirements. All analyzed samples received high marks for each individual property of quality. However, the varia- bility of acid degree, as well as some nutrient content (protein, crude fiber, starch) among samples was great. On the other hand, other parameters were similar between different bread samples (content of water, ash, sodium chloride). The fiber fractions that were analyzed in wholegrain bread samples revealed that resistant starch, fructans and arabonoxylan were the major fiber fractions, while cellulose content was unexpectedly low. Conclusions: Obtained results indicated that wholegrain bread from Belgrade market is of the standard quality and could be an important source of specific fiber fractions in everyday diet.