Prebiotic wheat bread: Technological, sensorial and nutritional perspectives and challenges

Wheat bread is a staple food highly consumed around the world. Prebiotic fortification of bread is also considered a strategy to improve human health and wellbeing. However, prebiotics' compatibility with other ingredients is important considering technological and acceptability points of view; keeping their functionality through wheat bread processing must be investigated. In this regard, this article aims to review the suitability of wheat bread as the main foodstuff to deliver prebiotics considering both: influence of the prebiotics on the technological and sensorial characteristics of wheat dough and bread as well as the effects of bread processing on the nutritional stability of prebiotic compounds to preserve their functionality. Prebiotic inclusion in dough systems may affect the pasting characteristics of starch and proteins and, consequently, the baking process's bread structure. Prebiotics to provide health effects should keep their functionality until reaching the colon.