Cereal science: finding a nutritional mix for pancakes

Food scientists at Washington State University (WSU) have been working on a study to help improve breakfast pancake’s nutritional value while enhancing its taste and texture.

“Generally, pancakes are made with refined flours, contributing to empty calories,” said Girish Ganjyal, a professor and food processing specialist in WSU’s School of Food Science. “We wanted to see if it’s possible to make tasty pancakes with whole grains that add some fibre and protein.”

Ganjyal and his study co-authors replaced refined flour with whole-grain buckwheat, quinoa, millet and whole-wheat flours in a variety of percentages ranging from 25 up to 100% apiece. The results were published in the journal Cereal Chemistry.

The team found that buckwheat, quinoa and whole-wheat flours can be mixed into pancake recipes without significant changes to the taste or texture. The millet flour had to be slightly pre-cooked before it could be added seamlessly.

“We started with a small level of replacement flours, then kept increasing them until it wasn’t practical,” Ganjyal said. “With millet flour, for example, we found that it basically just crumbles; there was no binding.”

Every pancake made in the study aimed at making more nutritious pancakes used the same recipe, except for the type of flour included. The recipe’s leavening system and other ingredients like sugar, oil, flour and salt remained constant. The recipes with the different flours and percentages were compared with the control pancakes, which were made with refined flour and all of the same other ingredients.

The study was part of WSU’s Soil to Society project, which launched in 2021 with a grant from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The project takes a comprehensive approach to increasing foods’ nutrient values and involves a multi-disciplinary team of plant breeders, nutrition experts and food scientists. Ganjyal hopes flour manufacturers will use the research to produce healthier products for restaurants and consumers.

He is already continuing the research by trying to understand why various flours behave differently under cooking conditions. He and his team hope to modify the flours so their textures become indistinguishable from the refined version.

Image credit: iStock.com/GMVozd