Abstract Bread represents a suitable food product for the
addition of functional ingredients, such as the cholesterollowering
dietary fibre oat b-glucan and the prebiotic inulin.
Therefore, these soluble fibres were incorporated into
wheat as well as gluten-free bread, and their effects on
rheological properties of the dough, on bread quality and
on crumb microstructure were compared. The level of
remaining b-glucan as well as its molecular weight was
determined using an enzyme kit and size-exclusion chromatography.
The addition of oat b-glucan resulted in a
higher water addition level, whereas incorporation of inulin
had the opposite effect. Rheological testing showed that the
incorporation of oat b-glucan results in a more elastic
dough. The baking characteristics mainly affected by fibre
addition were volume and crust colour, with inulin
increasing and oat b-glucan decreasing loaf-specific volume
in the gluten-free breads. Inulin led to a darkening of
the crust of both bread types, whereas addition of oat
b-glucan resulted in a lighter crust of gluten-free bread. Oat
b-glucan softened the crumb of gluten-free bread, but had
the opposite effect on wheat bread. Inulin resulted in an
increased crumb hardness as well as the rate of staling.
Beta-glucan breakdown was more pronounced in wheat
bread than in gluten-free bread. The results show that the
use of b-glucan to increase the nutritional value of wheat
bread is limited due to negative influences on technological
properties. However, this soluble fibre is highly suitable for
incorporation into gluten-free bread.
Keywords Gluten-free Wheat Prebiotic