Jerusalem artichoke ingredient for the nutritional profile improvement of sourdough bread: techno-functional properties and consumer perception

Abstract

Sourdough is a sustainable process to exploit the technological, nutritional, and functional properties of new food matrices. Enrichment of sourdough bread (SB) with Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.), source of inulin, presents a technological and sensory double challenge. The objective was to analyze different levels of replacement of a mixture (M) of white wheat flour (000) and whole wheat flour (1:1) by a Jerusalem artichoke powdered ingredient (JAP), studying hydration, thermal and pasting properties suitable for achieving sourdough breads with enhanced nutritional properties and acceptable technological and sensory quality. JAP presented higher hydration properties than those of M, therefore 15 and 30% JAP replacements increased gelatinization and pasting temperatures and yielded a less viscous paste (p < 0.05). Breads produced with 30% replacement (SBM-30JAP) presented higher inulin and ash content, and greater crumb moisture, but at the same time, a volume decrease and higher crumb hardness were observed. The SBM-15JAP bread provides 9 ± 0.9 g of inulin/100 g bread, enough to be considered as potentially prebiotic, with acceptable quality, given the slight changes observed in specific volume, color, texture, and crumb structure. Although a great number of participants had never tasted Jerusalem artichoke (83%) or SB (60%), potential consumers characterized SB with positive attributes (“Tasty”, “Nice texture”, “Healthy”, “Homemade bread”). The SBM-15JAP provides a considerable inulin level showing similar overall linking to SBM without significant quality loss. Results showed that the JAP ingredient has a great potential for baked goods enrichment resulting in products with improved functional and nutritional properties.