The historical pictorial evidence for bread making dates back 8000 years, but it is probable that bread was consumed in the unleavened form (without yeast) earlier than this, going handin-hand with the cultivation of crops. In some cultures, bread is an integral part of sacred and religious ceremonies.

Currently, bread is an important part of the diet for millions of people worldwide. Its complex nature provides energy, protein, minerals, and many other macro- and micronutrients. However, consideration must be taken of four major aspects related to flour and bread. The first is that not all cultures consume bread made from wheat flour. There are literally dozens of flour types, each with its distinctive heritage, cultural roles, and nutritive contents. Second, not all flours are used to make leavened bread in the traditional (i.e.,Western) loaf form.

There are many different ways that flours are used in the production of staple foods. Third, flour and breads can be fortified either to add components that are removed in the milling process or to add components that will increase palatability or promote health and reduce disease per se. (In this book, the term “fortification” is used holistically to include statutory and nonstatutory additions.) Finally, there are significant groups of individuals who have intolerance to flours such as wheat, barley, or rye flours.

This book is divided into two main sections:

1. Flour and Breads

2. Fortification of Flour and Breads and their Metabolic Effects

The book is also extremely well illustrated, with tables and figures in every chapter. Where applicable, information on adverse effects or responses is provided. Emerging fields of science and important discoveries relating to flour and bread products are also incorporated in the book. Contributing authors of international and national standing and leaders in the field. This comprehensive resource on flour, bread, and their constituents is essential reading for policymakers, food technologists, marketing strategists, nutritionists, food chemists, health care professionals, research scientists, and other food industry specialists in milling and baking.

Flour and Breads and Their Fortification in Health and Disease Prevention

Section I: Introductory Chapters, Flours and Breads

The science of doughs and bread quality

Monitoring flour performance in bread making

South Indian parotta - an unleavened, flat bread

Sourdough breads

Focaccia Italian flat fatty bread: quality and technology

Flour and bread from black, purple and blue-colored wheats

Emmer (Triticum turgidum spp. dicoccum) flour and breads

Einkorn (Triticum monococcum) flour and bread

Maize: Composition, bioactive constituents and unleavened bread

Amaranth: Potential source for flour enrichment

Quinoa: Protein and non protein tryptophan in comparison with other cereal and legume flours and bread

Sorghum Flour and flour products: production, nutritional quality and fortification

Buckwheat flour and bread

Non-starch polysaccharides in maize and oat: ferulated arabinoxylans and b-glucans

Gluten Free Bread: Sensory, physicochemical and nutritional aspects

Dietary fibre from brewer’s spent grain as a functional ingredient in bread making technology

Composite flours and breads: potentials of local crops in developing countries

Legume composite flours and baked goods: Nutritional, functional, sensory and phytochemical quality

Potentials of using okra seed (Abelmoschus esculentus Moench) flour for food fortification and effects of processing

Apricot kernel flour and its use in health

Macadamia Flours: Nutritious ingredients for baked goods

Banana and mango flours

Use of Potato flour in bread and flat bread

Section 2: Fortification of Flours and Breads and their Metabolic Effects

Mineral fortification of whole wheat flour-an overview

Iron particle size in iron-fortified bread

Iodine fortification of bread: experiences from Australia and New Zealand

Phytochemical fortification of flour and bread

Carotenoids in sweetpotato, cassava and maize and their use in bread and flour fortification

Production and nutraceutical properties of breads fortified with DHA and omega-3 containing oils

Fortification with free amino acids affects acrylamide content in yeast-leavened bread

Barley ß-glucans and fiber-rich fractions as functional ingredient in flat and pan breads

Antioxidant activity and phenolics in breads with added barley flour

Bread supplemented with chempedak (Artocarpus integer) seed flour

Effect of starch addition to fluid dough during breadmaking process

Fermentation as a tool to improve healthy properties of bread

Apple pomace (by-product of apple juice industry) as a flour fortification strategy

Use of sweet potato in bread and flour fortification

Fortification of bread with soy protein to normalize serum cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels

Dietary breads and impact on postprandial parameters

Fortification of vitamin B-12 to flour and the metabolic response

Metabolic effects of ß-Glucans addition to corn maize flour

Lupin kernel fiber: Metabolic effects in human intervention studies and use as supplement in wheat bread

Metabolic effects of propionic acid-enriched breads

Folic acid and colon cancer. Impact of wheat flour fortification with folic acid

Effects of the soybean flour diet on insulin secretion and action

Metabolic effects of bread fortified with wheat sprouts and bioavailability of ferulic acid from wheat bran