High-fibre breads

The other class of health high fibre breads have ingredients such as soya and linseed. The high soya content of these products has been promoted as making them especially suitable for women, particularly... 

Katina, K, Salmenkallio-Marttila, M., Partanen, R., Forssell, P. Autio, K (2006b). Effects of sourdough and enzymes on staling of high-fibre wheat bread. LWT - Food Science and Technology, 39, pp. 479-491. 

Controversy has been raging for many years as to whether, from the nutritional point of view, white or brown bread is better. Brown bread made from high extraction flour contains more protein, calcium, iron, B vitamins and fibre than white bread but its nutrients tend to be less well digested and absorbed. The case for white bread is based on its more attractive appearance, finer texture, better baking and keeping qualities and also its lower content of fibre and phytic acid which are responsible for the poorer utilization of nutrients. In Britain, where bread is only one of many articles of diet, nutritional differences between wholemeal and fortified white flours are of little practical significance. However, such differences could become important if bread ever became the single staple food. 

Dietary fat includes not only the obvious fat in the diet (the visible fat on meat, cooking oil, butter or margarine spread on bread), but also the hidden fat in foods. This latter may be either the fat naturally present in foods (e.g. the fat between the muscle fibres in meat, the oils in nuts, cereals and vegetables) or fat used in cooking and manufacture of foods. There are two problems associated with a high intake of fat ... 

Melanoidins in foods high in saccharides, such as bread crust or coffee, can have particular biological functions of fibre, including the growth of desirable intestinal microflora (prebiotic effect). Melanoidins derived mainly from proteins do not show these properties. 

---