Development of “clean label” gluten-free breads fortified with flaxseed slurry and sesame cake: Implications on batter rheology, bread quality and shelf life

Following the recently emerged trends for products without additives and valorization of food
processing by-products, “clean label” gluten-free (GF) breads were developed using a flaxseed
slurry (FS) at 3% or 4.5% level (flaxseed basis), instead of the commonly used structurant in GF
doughs, methylcellulose, and 3 or 6% (flour mixture basis) sesame cake (SC) for further product
nutritional improvement. These alternative ingredients increased batter hardness and
cohesiveness (back extrusion test) as well as elastic modulus, complex and steady shear
viscosity (rheometry), compared to formulation containing only methylcellulose (control). The
fortified breads had lower loaf specific volumes, than the control, but significantly higher than a
GF bread made without any added hydrocolloid. FS and SC enhanced the formation of β-sheet structures (FTIR spectroscopy) in the batter and bread protein matrix. FS breads exhibited
similar crumb hardness, cohesiveness, and springiness (TPA test) with the control, whereas
inclusion of SC compromised these textural attributes. Nevertheless, the latter samples showed
less pronounced textural changes upon storage (25°C-48 h), with similar extent of staling to
control. For the fortified stored breads, there were no significant changes in protein
conformation, compared to fresh products, whereas crumb starch retrogradation (calorimetry-
DSC) was lower than the control. Additionally, the FS and SC increased the protein and dietary
fiber contents and introduced nutty and sesame-like flavor notes to the breads, leading to
improved overall acceptability scores. Overall, FS and SC seemed to be promising functional
ingredients for the development of “clean label” GF breads with enhanced quality and shelf life.