Physicochemical Properties and Consumer Acceptance of Bread Enriched with Alternative Proteins

Abstract

A projected global population growth by 2050 and climate change crises have led to increasing demand in edible protein sources; thus, scientific research and food industries are searching for alternatives. In this study, we investigated the incorporation of plant- and insect-based protein sources in wheat-based formulations. The Alveographic properties of dough and the effects on bread physicochemical and sensory characteristics were analysed. Including pea protein or insect powder improved the nutritional value, increasing protein content, but influenced the dough and bread properties. Pea protein significantly increased the dough extensibility (L), tenacity (P), and their ratio (P/L) in dough with insect blends and the control. Bread texture properties were significantly affected by the addition of pea and insect flour. Higher amounts of pea protein incorporation increased hardness values and showed a mean cell area lower than the control bread. Crust colour analysis showed significant differences concerning the control bread, while crumb colour was affected by the flour colour. Word association analysis showed insect bread was associated with an emotional dimension, wheat bread was linked with “tradition”, and pea bread was associated with “fruit and vegetable”.

Type and Amount of Legume Protein Concentrate Influencing the Technological, Nutritional, and Sensorial Properties of Wheat Bread

“…Bread prepared with PP at a high concentration (10% and 15%) showed the highest hardness, which was almost 2.6-fold higher than the control wheat bread. Similar results of an increase in bread hardness were shown by Garcia-Segovia et al [30] when wheat flour was substituted with 5% and 10% pea protein, respectively. The crumb hardness was highly negatively correlated with bread volume (r = −0.9282).…”

Physico-chemical properties of an innovative gluten-free, low-carbohydrate and high protein-bread enriched with pea protein powder

“…In the case of the bread with the optimum amount of pea protein at the level of 10% significant increases in the protein content (from 14.7% to 17.1%), and decrease in the carbohydrates content (from 18.4% to 16.9%) was noticed. According to García-Segovia 43 the addition of 10% of pea protein increased protein content (to 19.3%), compared with the control wheat bread, and in the case of supplementation of wheat bread with pea protein concentrate (at the same level), as reported by Des Marchais 44 , even up to 20%. In other wheat bread studies, the protein content was 8.9%, carbohydrates were at 45.3% and after the addition of lupine isolate the protein content increased to almost 14.0%, and the carbohydrate content decreased to 37.9% 45 .…”

Challenges and Opportunities in Wheat Flour, Pasta, Bread, and Bakery Product Production Chains: A Systematic Review of Innovations and Improvement Strategies to Increase Sustainability, Productivity, and Product Quality

“…This has increased significantly the research efforts for alternative, cheaper, and more sustainable sources of protein. In this context, insects and legumes seem to be the best opportunities in breadmaking [48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56].…”

“…Nowadays, between the alternative sources of protein, insects are one of the most investigated founts for potential application in the food industry. The introduction of insect-based food could lead to several positive advantages: first, a significant increase in high-quality protein and nutrients [50,[52][53][54][55][56]; second, higher feed conversion efficiency and reduced rearing costs [50,54]; third, higher reproduction rate [50,54]; and, finally, a significant reduction of water consumption and Greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions [50,54]. Despite these promising benefits, neophobia, disgust, and non-acceptance represent the major obstacles for the consumption of insects as food in countries that are not familiar with entomophagy.…”

“…Despite these promising benefits, neophobia, disgust, and non-acceptance represent the major obstacles for the consumption of insects as food in countries that are not familiar with entomophagy. However, these barriers could be broken by inserting insects into products in an invisible form, such as flour [50,[52][53][54][55][56].…”