The potential of fibre concentrate from artichoke stem by-product in bakery application was investigated. The elaboration of fibre concentrate was characterized by an extraction yield of 48.5%. The chemical composition showed high total dietary fibre (85 g/100 g d.m) and low lipid contents (0.5 g/100 g d.m). The fibre concentrate showed good water holding capacity (8.17 g/g) and high oil holding capacity (16.17 g/g). The effect of fibre concentrate incorporation to wheat dough, at level of 2%, on the rheological properties and physical characteristics of bread was also evaluated. The results showed that the addition of fibre concentrate in wheat flour significantly improved (P < 0.05) dough properties inducing an increase of water absorption, stability and tenacity, and a reduction of extensibility and softening in comparison to the dough without fibre. The colour values of the crust and crumb were significantly (P < 0.05) altered by the addition of fibre concentrate. It was also found that incorporation of fibre concentrate to bread produced a comparable specific volume and enhanced the shelf life, as textural studies revealed.

Legume flours, due to their phenol and fibre content, are ideal ingredients for improving the nutritional value of bakery products. In this study, artichoke stem powder (ASP) was used to substitute 0%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5% and 10% of wheat flour for making breads. Proximate composition of wheat flour and ASP were determined. Bread qualities and total phenols content were analyzed and compared with those of wheat bread. Results show that ASP contained 10.37% moisture, 10.28% ash, 11.53% protein, 0.86% fat, 51.29% fibre and 1350 mg EAG/100g d.m. ASP addition considerably modified the bread quality: altered appearance and texture, darker crumb and more intense odour were observed. From the sensory evaluation, tastes of bread with higher content of ASP (7.5 and 10%) were the most acceptable for assessors. Total phenol contents of breads significantly increased with the addition of ASP. Therefore ASP may be considered as valuable ingredients for industrial manufacture of functional foods.