Influence of dough improvers on whole-grain bread quality of einkorn wheat

Wholemeal products of einkorn wheat ( Triticum monococcum L.) could help to elevate the daily uptake of both dietary fibre and lutein, compounds which can assist the prevention of coronary heart disease and age-related macular degeneration, respectively. However, gluten strength and rheological properties of einkorn wheat are low and bran particles are reported to decrease bread volume and crumb elasticity of flours. It was demonstrated that the application of individual enzymes and/or emulsifiers or their application in mixtures can significantly improve bread volume and crumb firmness of whole-grain einkorn breads. Crumb porosity characteristics, however, were not affected. Synergistic interactions between the dough improvers can be supposed. The antithesis between the application of dough conditioners and the organic production of einkorn wheat, and optional methods for optimisation of whole-grain einkorn bread are discussed