A Review on Healthier Bread Making: Focusing on the Underlying Mechanisms for Decreasing Glycemic Index

Consumers have a greater willingness to pay for healthier foods thanks to accumulating scientific data and growing nutrition knowledge. The increasing market demand for low glycemic index (GI) products stands out as one of the most widespread needs. There have been extensive studies performed to reduce the GI of bread, which is the main carbohydrate source in diets and is considered an important staple food worldwide. However, the lack of a comprehensive overview of strategies that have been hypothesized to delay or restrict starch digestion in bread is addressed in this paper. Using flour substitutes and enriching recipes with other dietary components or enzymes, which are considered promising strategies for healthier bread making, are also discussed. Results highlight that studies aimed at reducing the GI are based on the following principles: (i) slowing down the gastric emptying rate; (ii) preserving starch from digestive enzymes; (iii) starch in a form that restricts its enzymatic digestion; and (iv) inhibition of enzyme activities. In future studies, a combination of previously tested effective methods with a new one, such as the use of encapsulating compounds or edible coating, might help meet the demands of health-conscious consumers for innovative low-GI bread.