Both Glycaemic index (GI) and Glycaemic Load (GL) were introduced to measure the impact of a carbohydrate-containing food on blood glucose. From this perspective, high-amylose (HA) flours, with a higher percentage of resistant starch (RS), may represent a suitable raw material to improve the glycaemic response. The present work aims to investigate the GI of HA bakery products (biscuits, taralli and bread) compared to products obtained from conventional flour. Ten healthy volunteers were enrolled and their capillary blood glucose was measured every 15 min for 2 h after the consumption of HA and control products containing 50 g of available carbohydrates. On average, in the three bakery products, the amount of total starch replaced by RS was equal to 12%. HA biscuits and HA bread showed significantly lower GI than their control counterparts (p = 0.0116 and p = 0.011, respectively) and better glycaemic control. From the survey to assess liking and willingness to pay on HA snacks, HA packages received an average premium of €0.66 compared to control products. Although HA flour results in lower GI in both biscuits and bread, further studies are needed to evaluate the correct composition of HA products to have beneficial effects on post-prandial glycaemia.

At present, whole grains are usually obtained by adding bran and middlings to refined flours, and this recombination leads to certain variations in the ratio of endosperm, bran and germ, resulting in flours with very different compositional characteristics and rheological properties. Therefore, this study focuses on the identification of specific lipid markers in different debranning fractions of Italian and Canadian durum wheat blends. The by-products obtained from five different debranning levels (3, 6, 9, 12 and 15%) had a high content of monounsaturated fatty acids and a higher concentration of tocopherols and sterols than the corresponding debranned grains. The Italian and Canadian durum wheat samples did not show significant differences in the content of these bioactive lipid compounds. In particular, palmitic acid, oleic acid, tocopherol isomers and total sterols could be useful biomarkers for evaluating the grain-to-tissue ratio in recombined flours.

Durum wheat debranning fractions (fine and coarse bran) were obtained and included as an ingredient in the formulation of whole-meal spaghetti to study their chemical–nutritional characteristics, in particular folate levels and sensorial properties. Experimental raw pasta had a higher folate content (40.5 µg/100 g) than commercial whole-meal pasta (28.3 µg/100 g), meeting the requirements for the health claim on folate (Reg. EU 432/2012) and for the nutritional claim on dietary fiber. After cooking, folate retention in pasta formulated with coarse bran was 80% and scored an overall “good” sensorial acceptability. Results indicate that whole-meal pasta formulated with folate-rich debranning fractions may represent a natural functional food that, integrated into the diet, could improve the health status of the population.

The influence of different lipid blends on the physicochemical, nutritional, and sensory characteristics of short dough biscuits was investigated in comparison with a conventional formulation containing palm oil. Six different lipid matrices were employed: palm oil, butter, high-oleic sunflower oil, butter/extra virgin olive oil, butter/high-oleic sunflower oil, and a coconut/sunflower oil mixture. Biscuits were analyzed for fatty acid composition, sterols, tocols, oxidative stability, texture, and sensory attributes. The results showed a variability in the lipid composition. In particular, formulations containing high-oleic sunflower oil and its blends exhibited higher monounsaturated fatty acids and α-tocopherol, while coconut-based samples displayed greater saturated fatty acids and an improved oxidative stability. Butter-containing biscuits had the highest sterol concentration, mainly cholesterol. Textural and sensory evaluations revealed how the lipid fraction significantly affected crispiness, friability, and flavour perception. Biscuits formulated with high-oleic sunflower oil or butter achieved desirable structural and sensory properties, while the coconut/sunflower oil sample obtained the highest overall acceptability. The findings demonstrate that replacing palm oil with selected lipid blends can produce biscuits with an improved lipid quality and oxidative stability and satisfactory sensory performance, contributing to healthier and more sustainable bakery products.

The effects of asparaginase treatment and conditions of its use (enzyme dose and dough resting time) on the formation of heat-induced contaminants, namely, acrylamide (ACR) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), were investigated in wholemeal wheat biscuits. In addition, potential impacts on sensory-related quality attributes were assessed through instrumental analysis of colour, texture, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Three levels of asparaginase addition (100, 300, and 500 ASNU kg⁻¹ flour) were tested and compared with an untreated control, with and without the application of a 15 min dough resting step. Results confirmed the effectiveness of asparaginase in reducing ACR levels in the final biscuits, showing a dose-dependent response with reductions of up to 68% at 500 ASNU kg⁻¹ flour. A dough resting step tend to further lower ACR content. In contrast, asparaginase treatment did not exert a consistent effect on HMF formation, whereas dough resting tended to decrease it. Moreover, asparaginase addition at the highest dose reduced the level of several Maillard reaction-derived VOCs by approximately 30%. Overall, asparaginase treatment markedly reduced ACR formation while causing changes in some odour-active compounds in biscuits. Further sensory evaluation will be necessary to determine whether these changes are perceptible and may influence consumer acceptance.