White bean and hazelnuts flours: Application in gluten-free bread

This study investigated the effects of white bean and hazelnut flour addition (15–30% alone or in combination) to a rice flour-corn starch mixture in gluten-free (GF) breads formulated according to a mixture design. The chemical composition of flours and pasting properties of their mixtures were investigated, as well as the spectroscopic characteristics and leavening performance of doughs. Physical properties of fresh and stored (up to 48 h) bread samples were analyzed. Bean and hazelnut flours had higher protein and fiber contents, and lower carbohydrates content than rice flour and corn starch. Although the reference bread made of rice flour-corn starch mixture (STD) resulted in the highest specific volume (7.0 mL/g) and the lowest hardness (0.43 N), the sample enriched with 15% hazelnut flour (H15) approached these characteristics the most (3.8 mL/g and 1.59 N, respectively). After 48 h of storage, H15 also showed lower hardness than STD. This study paves the way for new applications of white bean and hazelnut flours and showed as a simple reformulation can help to develop healthier bread: the European legal constraint for “fiber source” claim was achieved for breads with 15 or 30% hazelnut flour, and 30% bean-hazelnut mixture, with a fiber content of 3.34, 4.48, and 3.27 g/100g, respectively.