Researchers at Ireland’s Teagasc Food Research, a subsidiary of Ireland’s Agriculture and Food Development Authority, have successfully used ‘pseudocereals’ such as amaranth, quinoa and buckwheat to replace wheat in bread formulations.

According to Teagasc, many gluten-free breads have a crumbly, brittle texture, which can be perceived by consumers as less palatable. Gluten-free foods can also suffer from inferior nutritional quality, including lower levels of B vitamins, iron and fibre, due to formulation with unfortified flours.

“Other characteristics of these seeds, such as their high protein, fibre and mineral content, as well as the presence of many bioactive components (compounds with beneficial effects on the body), make them attractive alternatives to traditional gluten-free ingredients (such as rice, potato and corn flours/starches) in the production of high quality, healthy gluten-free product,” said lead researcher Dr Eimear Gallagher.

The researchers reported that the new breads had a significantly softer crumb than the gluten-free control sample, as well as higher levels of protein, dietary fibre, antioxidant activity and polyphenol content.

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