Element Content in Different Wheat Flours and Bread Varieties

The most consumed cereal-based product worldwide is bread. Caaveiro, an autochthonous variety with a recent growing interest, is one of the wheat varieties that fulfill the 25% local flour requirement in the PGI Pan Galego bread baking industry. The element content of the refined wheat flours used to make Pan Galego (''Caaveiro'', FCv; Castilla, FC; and a mixture of both, FM) was evaluated in ICP-MS. In addition, wholegrain flour (FWM) was included in the analysis. Loaves of bread were made with these flours (a, 100% FC; b, 100% FCv); and c, FM: 75% FC + 25% FCv) and their element content was analyzed. Wholegrain flour ranked the highest in almost all elements, highlighting the P (494.80 mg/100 g), while the FM and the FC presented the opposite behavior, with the highest Se values (14.4 and 15.8 mg/100 g, respectively). FCv was situated in an intermediate position regarding P, K, Mg, Mn, Zn, Fe and Na content, standing closer to FWM, although it presents the highest values for Cu (1076.3 mu g/100 g). The differences observed in flour were maintained in bread. Hence, the local cultivar ''Caaveiro'' has an interesting nutritional profile from the point of view of the element content.

Automated summary

This study evaluated the element content of different wheat flours used in Pan Galego bread baking industry, with wholegrain flour ranking the highest in almost all elements. The local cultivar ''Caaveiro'' showed an interesting nutritional profile with unique element content compared to other varieties.