Baked food is evolving with the increase of health-conscious customers. They enjoy baked and packaged foods including breads, biscuits, cookies, muffins, morning goods, cakes and pastries that are produced with high-quality ingredients7.
Here are some popular ingredients that will enhance the nutritional value of your products.
Chia Seeds, Flour & Oil
Enrichment of baked goods with plant-based ingredients will provide high nutritional value. Looking at the health benefits of chia seeds, a muffin mix made with chia seeds has higher nutrient content in terms of antioxidants, protein, dietary fibre, calcium, phosphorus, zinc and iron. It also increases the shelf life of the muffin with acceptable sensory attributes8.
Chia seeds are packed with omega-3 fatty acids. Addition of chia flour in bread offers fat-free5 and healthier choices to consumers2. Chia oil which is rich in antioxidants, omega 3 and 6 can also be used as a fat replacer in cookies to improve its quality9. An addition of chia ingredients into bread by 10% not only increases its nutrition profile but typically lowers its glycemic index which suitable for those on a weight control diet and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease6.
Vitamins & Minerals
Vitamins and minerals provide essential nutrients to keep our body healthy and functional. Supplementation of vitamin D-fortified bread significantly improves bone health in older adults and is a feasible way to enhance vitamin D nutrition3. Eating bread incorporated with zinc is an effective way to achieve adequate zinc intake and promote absorption in zinc-deficient people, as well as improve the physical growth of children1. While consumption of bread supplemented with vitamin B12 increases energy, improves memory, and enhances mood to stay healthy and have a productive life4.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that making healthier bakery products can be challenging. However, adding healthy ingredients can improve the quality of baked goods and bring health benefits to consumers.
At DPO, we are honoured to be in partnership with Hexagon and Benexia to bring you a range of ingredient choices that could elevate your quality of life.
References
1Badii, A., Nekouei, N., Fazilati, M., Shahedi, M., & Badiei, S. (2012). Effect of consuming zinc-fortified bread on serum zinc and iron status of zinc-deficient women: A double blind, randomized clinical trial. International Journal of Preventive Medicine, 3(1), S124–S130.
2Coelho, M.S. and Salas-Mellado, M. (2015). Effects of substituting chia (Salvia hispanica L.) flour or seeds for wheat flour on the quality of the bread. LWT-Food Science and Technology, 60(2), 729-736.
3Costan, A., Vulpoi, C., & Mocanu, V. (2014). Vitamin D Fortified Bread Improves Pain and Physical Function Domains of Quality of Life in Nursing Home Residents. Journal Of Medicinal Food, 17(5), 625-631. https://doi.org/10.1089/jmf.2012.0210
4Garrod, M. G., Buchholz, B. A., Miller, J. W., Haack, K. W., Green, R., & Allen, L. H. (2018). Vitamin B12 added as a fortificant to flour retains high bioavailability when baked in bread. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2018.05.042
5Huerta, K. da M., Boeira, C. P., Soquetta, M. B., Alves, J. dos S., Kubota, E. H., & da Rosa, C. S. (2018). The effect of chia (Salvia hispanic L.) flour as a substitute for fat in gluten-free bread. Nutrition & Food Science. https://doi.org/10.1108/nfs-08-2018-0240
6Miranda-Ramos, K., Millán-Linares, M. C., & Haros, C. M. (2020). Effect of chia as breadmaking ingredient on nutritional quality, mineral availability, and glycemic index of bread. Foods, 9, 663. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9050663
7Mordor Intelligence. (2019). Baked Food & Cereals Market – Growth, Trends, and Forecasts (2020 – 2025). Industry Report.
8Sharma, V., Mogra, R. and Mordia, A. (2020). Effect of chia (Salvia hispanica L.) seeds incorporation on nutritional quality of muffin mix. Nutrition & Food Science, 50(6), 1151-1161. https://doi.org/10.1108/NFS-10-2019-0306
9Venturini, L. H., Moreira, T. F. M., da Silva, T. B. V., de Almeida, M. M. C., Francisco, C. R. L., de Oliveira, A., Leimann, F. V. (2018). Partial substitution of margarine by microencapsulated chia seeds oil in the formulation of cookies. Food and Bioprocess Technology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-018-2188-0
