Enhancing gluten-free bread with sorghum bran

According to a study published in the Journal of Food Science, sorghum bran, a low-cost by-product of sorghum milling, can enhance the nutritional value of gluten-free bread without compromising its flavour.

Though in demand, gluten-free foods are sometimes deficient in nutrients and lack appealing taste and texture. Gluten-free bread typically replaces wheat flour with refined flour and starches from other sources. Adding dietary fibre to gluten-free bread can lead to a hard texture and more rapid staling.

To find solutions in this area, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) researchers studied sumac sorghum bran, classified as a brown tannin-containing variety with antioxidant properties and dietary fibre, as a possible substitute for wheat flour in gluten-free bread.

“In our study, we used optimisation models to create a gluten-free bread with enhanced dietary fibre while preserving other desirable bread attributes such as colour, texture and flavour,” said Ryan Ardoin, research food technologist at ARS’s Food Processing and Sensory Quality Research Unit. “This meant finding the optimal amount of sumac sorghum bran to use in the bread to get the nutritional benefits without comprising taste and texture.”

The researchers conducted taste tests and asked focus groups to rate different breads, with and without the sorghum bran.

“We found that people liked the gluten-free bread that contains 14.2% sumac sorghum bran and would be just as willing to buy this bread,” Ardoin said. “There was no difference in perceived bitterness found between the bread with and without the sorghum bran.”

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), about 2 million people in the US have coeliac disease and over 20% of US consumers purchase gluten-free products without a medical reason. There is a demand for gluten-free food options that have a similar flavour and texture as gluten-containing counterparts.

“The potential health benefits provided by tannin-containing sorghum bran in gluten-free foods can benefit consumers who must avoid gluten as well as those seeking other food options,” Ardoin said.

Image caption: ARS researchers baked bread loaves containing sumac sorghum bran during the research study. Image credit: Brennan Smith, D5098-1