Complimenting gluten free bakery products with dietary fiber: Opportunities and constraints

Background: Gluten-free (GF) bakery products available in the market are often poor in nutritional value, flavor, mouthfeel and have double the price as compared to traditional products. Strict GF diet has raised long-term concerns about food choices and dietary habits of celiac disease (CD) patients. Scope and approach The limited intake of dietary fiber (DF) in GF diet along with other deficient nutrients is the main concern for the coeliacs, as the wheat flour is replaced with rice flour and commercially available starches, which results in lower DF intake. The population surveys indicated a lower intake of DF in coeliacs. The DFs from pseudo-cereals, GF cereals, fruits, vegetables, legumes and pulses are commonly used to complement the deficiency of GF products. Key findings and conclusions: Addition of DF significantly affects the color, firmness, moistness, crumb staling and microstructural feature of GF products. The coeliacs are advised to complement the DF intake from pseudo cereals, fruits, legumes and pulses. This article covers the challenges faced by the food industry while complementing GF products with DF and the effect of DF on the techno-functional properties of the products with reference to GF products.