Using germinated grains as a breadmaking ingredient

The addition of flours from germinated grains to conventional flours has become a popular strategy in the Western world to improve the quality of cereal-based products. This study aimed at addressing the overall quality of a wheat bread from sourdough leavening enriched (10% w/w) with either germinated buckwheat flour or germinated wheat flour, in comparison with flours from non-germinated grains. Addition of the flours from germinated grains was expected to improve the product sensory properties, as nutritional improvement at these enrichment levels may be considered marginal. However, even a small enrichment can cause problems during the bread-making process, that needs to be carried out in a specific way. E-nose data indicate that bread containing flours from germinated grains had peculiar aroma components. Crumb image analysis indicated no changes in bubble size distribution in bread upon addition of germinated wheat. On the contrary, addition of non-germinated buckwheat flour caused a 20% decrease in the total porous area of wheat-based bread. No negative effects were observed when using germinated buckwheat as the enriching ingredient. From a molecular standpoint, germination gave the expected starch hydrolysis (peak viscosity = 75 BU for mix with 10% germinated wheat vs 550 BU for non-germinated wheat), whereas protein hydrolysis was minimal and limited to large proteins. As a consequence, proteolysis in either germinated material did not impair gluten formation, crucial to the bread final quality. In conclusion, appropriate conditions in the germination process may lead to the selective formation of breakdown products that provide unique aroma notes upon bread baking, without resulting in detrimental effects on the product appearance. Also of interest is the possibility of using germinated grains other than wheat as a bread supplement.