Enhancing the Protein, Mineral Content, and Bioactivity of Wheat Bread through the Utilisation of Microalgal Biomass: A Comparative Study of <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i>, <i>Phaeodactylum tricornutum</i>, and <i>Tetraselmis chuii</i>

At present, the incorporation of microalgae into bread and related cereal products has attracted attention due to their potential for enhancing nutritional profiles and their impact on health. In this study, 4% of <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i>, <i>Phaeodactylum tricornutum</i>, a...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Nancy Mahmoud, Joana Ferreira, Anabela Raymundo, Maria Cristiana Nunes
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-03-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/6/2483
Description
Summary:At present, the incorporation of microalgae into bread and related cereal products has attracted attention due to their potential for enhancing nutritional profiles and their impact on health. In this study, 4% of <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i>, <i>Phaeodactylum tricornutum</i>, and <i>Tetraselmis chuii</i> were added into wheat flour to produce bread and assesses their impact on the dough rheology behaviour, quality performance, nutritive value, and bioactive profile of bread. The results showed that <i>T. chuii</i> strengthened the dough network, whereas <i>P. tricornutum</i> exerted minimal influence. Notably, the incorporation of <i>C. vulgaris</i> induced a pronounced weakening of the protein network within the dough matrix, leading to disruptions in dough structure and subsequent alterations in starch gelatinisation and retrogradation. These changes lead to a reduction in the bread volume (22.7%) and a corresponding increase in its firmness when <i>C. vulgaris</i> was added. In contrast, <i>T. chuii</i> and <i>P. tricornutum</i> had no significant effect on bread volume. All microalgae species caused the dark green colour of the bread and enhanced the bread nutritional composition, namely in terms of protein content (14.7% increase in <i>C. vulgaris</i> bread) and mineral profile. The breads containing <i>T. chuii</i> exhibited a noticeable increase in both total phenolic content (from 7.22 in the control to 38.52 (µg GAE/g)) and antioxidant capacity (from 117.29 to 591.96 (µg TEAC/g) measured by FRAP).
ISSN:2076-3417