Non-cereal ingredients for the attenuation of glycaemic response to bread: a review of the clinical evidence

Abstract

Lowering postprandial blood glucose response remains at the forefront of scientific interest, due to emerging evidence of potential health benefits. Although a large variety of commercial bread products is available, specific postprandial effects of different carbohydrate sources in humans have not been elucidated. The purpose of the present review is to critically record the human studies investigating the efficacy of non-cereal based ingredients on the modulation of glycaemic response to bread. The review of the literature revealed that the substitution of refined flours for legume flours is the main alternative strategy for reducing glycaemic response to bread beyond cereal ingredients. The incorporation of fruit-derived ingredients, specific dietary fibre originating from various sources, and the micronutrient enrichment of bread with trivalent chromium constitute novel and promising strategies for the production of low GI breadstuff. In agreement to the above, bakery industry should focus on technological aspects calculating on the suggested approaches in order to obtain health-promoting bread products based on ingredients originating from non-cereal sources.