Technological and Nutritional Challenges, and Novelty in Gluten-Free Breadmaking - a Review

The presence of gluten is considered fundamental for successful breadmaking. However, the ingestion of gluten by susceptible individuals has been associated with the development of gluten-related disorders such as celiac disease, wheat allergy, and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. The elimination of gluten from cereal-based baked products has a detrimental effect on the breadmaking process and sensory properties, and raises technological challenges in terms of making good quality leavened bread. The use of non-gluten raw materials changes the rheological behaviour of the gluten-free dough, which may result in different processing performance and associated post-baking quality of the obtained bread. Gluten-free bread tends to have a poor visual texture characteristics, a low nutritional value, reduced mouthfeel and flavour, as well as a shorter shelf-life. The aim of this review is to present the main problems related to gluten-free breadmaking technology and to summarise recent findings in the improvement of the technological, nutritional, and sensory properties of gluten-free bread. A great deal of this review focuses on the development of novel and healthy gluten-free breads formulated with flours, starches, hydrocolloids, and alternative nutrient-dense raw materials, which should fulfil all quality requirements for bakery products as well as meet the needs of celiac consumers.