Impact of Heat-Treated Lentil Flour on Technological, Nutritional and Sensory Characteristics of Wheat Bread.

The replacement of wheat flour (WF) by legume flours allows to obtain functional baked goods, but generally leads to technological and sensory defects. Applying thermal treatments to legumes can lead to increased nutrient digestibility and water absorption, reduced unpleasant flavors, and various textural modifications. This work evaluated the technological aspects of dough and breads made with thermally treated lentil flour (LF). In this study, LF was produced from raw lentils that were soaked, cooked (30 min - boiling water), and dried (12 h - 60 °C). WF was replaced by different percentages of LF: 0 (Control), 10 (LF10), 20 (LF20) and 30% (LF30). Hydration properties, color, specific volume, alveolar parameters, rheological characteristics, nutritional composition, and sensory acceptability were evaluated. The LF dough reached lower volumes during fermentation, leading to inferior bread specific volume, with this effect being more pronounced when LF substitution level increased. LF20 and LF30 were labelled as good sources of fiber (with values of 10.2% and 13.1% respectively), and LF30 can also be considered as good source of protein (with a value of 17.2%). Results shows that even the smallest amounts of LF significantly improved the nutritional profile of the bread. LF breads were perceived as nutritive, artisanal, and with the ability of satiate by the consumers, and the flavor lentil was only perceived with LF > 10%. Lentil addition was shown to be a viable alternative for improving the nutritional profile of traditional breads, leading to products with high acceptance. LF20 bread could be considered as products with a good balance between different technological, nutritional and sensory attributes.