Gluten-Free Bread Enriched with Vegetable Flours

Abstract

The effects of different vegetable flours (broccoli, cauliflower, artichoke, fennel, zucchini and mushroom) added to gluten-free bread on sensory quality, antioxidant properties and glycemic response were assessed. Among the vegetable flours, the addition of fennel flour significantly improved sensory bread quality. Artichoke flour has the highest phenolic (26.51 ± 1.92 mg/g dw) and flavonoid content (26.43 ± 1.93 mg/g dw). Even though the content of total phenol and flavonoids in vegetable flours was higher when compared to supplemented bread, the addition of artichoke and zucchini flours increased the total phenolic and flavonoid content and improved antioxidant activity. The incorporation of high level of vegetable flours (15%) also decreased the glycemic index of bread, in particular with artichoke and zucchini flours (59 ± 1.21 and 62 ± 0.49, respectively). To sum up, the results are very interesting because the addition of vegetable flours into gluten-free bread can improve nutritional and sensory properties of bread.