Traditional and Non-Traditional Grain-Based Products: Addressing Challenges Through Formulation and Processing

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Grain".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 March 2025 | Viewed by 1780

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Science, 1433 Ås, Norway
Interests: bread; cereal grains; ingredient functionality; perennial grains; plant-based analogues

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Guest Editor
Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), Università degli Studi di Milano, via G. Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy
Interests: cereal science and technology; sprouting; pasta; bread
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor Assistant
Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), Università degli Studi di Milano, Via G. Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy
Interests: plant-based foods; pulses; extrusion; meat alternatives

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Which advancements in formulation and processing will be key to ensure that grains are used as food to their fullest potential? What approaches can further increase our understanding of grain-based products whose structure is determined by biopolymer functionality? How can traditional products such as baked goods or pasta be optimized in terms of nutritional attributes, textural properties, shelf-life, and sustainability, such as via the incorporation of side-streams and by-products? Can non-traditional grain-based foods, such as meat or dairy analogues, be formulated and structured in a way that makes them more competitive with the products they intend to resemble? Are there novel product categories or processing tools that deserve more attention?

Acknowledging the role of cereals, pseudocereals, and legumes as the base for nutrient-rich foods which can provide pleasant eating experiences, much research is ongoing to enhance product properties through optimizing formulation and/or developing innovative processes. We invite you to share your perspective on tackling current challenges and laying out opportunities in the area of grain-based products through the submission of an original research article or review paper.

Dr. Catrin E. Tyl
Prof. Dr. Alessandra Marti
Guest Editors

Dr. Andrea Bresciani
Guest Editor Assistant

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Keywords

  • cereals
  • pseudocereals
  • baked products
  • snacks
  • pasta
  • plant-based
  • traditional processes
  • innovative processes

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 862 KiB  
Article
Can Front-of-Pack Labeling Encourage Food Reformulation? A Cross-Sectional Study on Packaged Bread
by Daniela Martini, Donato Angelino, Massimiliano Tucci, Edoardo La Bruna, Nicoletta Pellegrini, Cristian Del Bo’ and Patrizia Riso
Foods 2024, 13(22), 3535; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13223535 - 6 Nov 2024
Viewed by 606
Abstract
Front-of-pack labeling (FOPL) may represent an important instrument for the food industry in the promotion of food product reformulation. The present cross-sectional study used salt reduction in packaged breads as a case study, aiming to investigate whether two different types of FOPL (i.e., [...] Read more.
Front-of-pack labeling (FOPL) may represent an important instrument for the food industry in the promotion of food product reformulation. The present cross-sectional study used salt reduction in packaged breads as a case study, aiming to investigate whether two different types of FOPL (i.e., Nutri-Score (NS) and NutrInform battery (NIB)) can capture food reformulation and thus be effective tools for encouraging reformulation. The Nutri-Score and NIB were calculated by consulting the nutritional declarations and ingredient lists of 527 packaged breads currently sold in Italy before and after applying three different theoretical reformulation strategies: (i) a 25% salt decrease from the current median salt content in bread; (ii) a reduction of up to 0.825 g/100 g of salt, corresponding to the sodium benchmark of 330 mg/100 g set by the World Health Organization (WHO); and (iii) the minimum salt reduction needed to improve the NS by one grade. The results show that only ~44% of breads had improved NSs when the sodium was lowered to reach the WHO benchmark or when salt was reduced by 25%, whereas large variability was observed in the minimum salt reduction needed to improve the NS. Regarding the NIB, the battery for salt improved when both strategies of reformulation were applied. FOPL is not always effective in capturing food reformulation in terms of salt reduction, possibly discouraging the efforts of food companies to improve the nutritional quality of foods. Full article
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12 pages, 450 KiB  
Article
Replacement of Native with Malted Triticale (x Triticosecale Wittmack) Flour in Dry Pasta: Technological and Nutritional Implications
by Mariasole Cervini, Chiara Lobuono, Federica Volpe, Francesco Matteo Curatolo, Francesca Scazzina, Margherita Dall’Asta and Gianluca Giuberti
Foods 2024, 13(15), 2315; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13152315 - 23 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 715
Abstract
The use of native and malted triticale (MT) flour in dry pasta has been limited despite the potential of triticale in cereal-based food production. In this study, triticale-based dry spaghetti with increasing levels of substitution (0, 25, 50, and 75 g/100 g w [...] Read more.
The use of native and malted triticale (MT) flour in dry pasta has been limited despite the potential of triticale in cereal-based food production. In this study, triticale-based dry spaghetti with increasing levels of substitution (0, 25, 50, and 75 g/100 g w/w) of MT flour were formulated and analyzed. Samples were analyzed for technological and nutritional traits, including the in vitro starch and protein digestions. The gradual substitution of native triticale flour with MT increased (p < 0.05) the total dietary fiber content, whereas total starch decreased (p < 0.05). Adding MT flour increased the cooking loss and the stickiness of cooked pasta (p < 0.05). Using MT flour modulated the in vitro starch digestion, lowering the slowly digestible and resistant starch contents. The in vitro protein digestibility was positively affected using MT at the highest substitution level. Overall, MT could be used to formulate dry pasta products being the substitution to native triticale up to 50 g/100 g, a good compromise between nutritional quality and technological characteristics. Full article
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