Fructan content of commonly consumed wheat, rye and gluten-free breads

Abstract

Fructans are non-digestible carbohydrates with various nutritional properties including effects on microbial metabolism, mineral absorption and satiety. They are present in a range of plant foods, with wheat being an important source. The aim of the present study was to measure the fructan content of a range of wheat, rye and gluten-free breads consumed in the United Kingdom. Fructans were measured in a range of breads using selective enzymic hydrolysis and spectrophotometry based on the AOAC 999.03 method. The breads generally contained low quantities of fructan (0.61–1.94 g/100 g), with rye bread being the richest source (1.94 g/100 g). Surprisingly, gluten-free bread contained similar quantities of fructan (1.00 g/100 g) as other breads. There was wide variation in fructan content between individual brands of granary (0.76–1.09 g/100 g) and gluten-free breads (0.36–1.79 g/100 g). Although they contain only low quantities of fructan, the widespread consumption of bread may make a significant contribution to fructan intakes.

Keywords::

• Fructan
• prebiotic
• bread

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Anne-Catherine Perz, David Lincoln and Mary-Jo Searle (King's College London) for technical assistance in sample processing. They are grateful to Frederick Warren (King's College London) and Ourania Rosella (Monash University, Australia) for technical advice on sample analysis.

Declaration of interests: The present research was funded by King's College London. The authors do not have any competing interests to declare.