Multigrain bread: impact of germinated grain supplement on phytochemical profile and technological and nutritional properties

Živković, Andrej (author), Polak, Tomaž (author), Požrl, Tomaž (author)

Modern diets often provide insufficient health-promoting nutrients, prompting the de velopment of enriched staple foods. This study investigated the impact of incorporating germinated spelt (Triticum spelta), naked oat (Avena nuda), and buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) seeds at 30% and 60% levels on the nutritional, technological, and sensory prop erties of wheat bread. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) analysis verified the successful transfer of grain-specific bioactive compounds into the dough and bread matrix—benzoxazinoids (BOA, MBOA) from spelt, avenanthramides (AVN A, B, C) from oats, and flavonoids (e.g., rutin, vitexin, orientin) from buckwheat—emphasizing both free and bound metabolite fractions. Multigrain breads exhibited a complementary phytochemical profile. The antioxidant properties of the enriched breads were markedly enhanced, with germinated buckwheat providing the most pronounced increase. Analysis confirmed a significant increase in dietary fibre content proportional to the level of germi nated grain addition, with almost double the content in 60% multigrain bread. Texture analysis indicated that the control crumb exhibited the greatest relative firming over 48 h during storage. Sensory evaluation showed that all of the enriched breads received high ac ceptability scores (>18/20). The incorporation of germinated seeds effectively enhances the nutritional value of bread, offering a promising strategy for developing health-promoting bakery products.

• Language: English
• Keywords: germinated grains, multigrain bread, secondary metabolites, LC-MS/MS, phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, dietary fibre, technological properties
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 01.01.2026
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: 20 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 15, iss. 6, art. 1029
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-180952
• UDC: 664.665:581.142:547.56:604.4
• ISSN on article: 2304-8158
• DOI: 10.3390/foods15061029
• COBISS.SI-ID: 271801603
• Publication date in RUL: 20.03.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Foods
• Shortened title: Foods
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2304-8158
• COBISS.SI-ID: 512252472

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: kruh, kaljena zrna, sekundarni metaboliti, fenolne spojine, antioksidativna aktivnost, dietna vlaknina

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P4-0234-2018
• Name: Integrirano živilstvo in prehrana

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Project number: 101186975
• Name: Metabolomics in food and nutrition
• Acronym: Foodomics