Boosting Bread’s Nutri-Score

21 October 2024
From nutriscore B to A in bread | Bakery Academy

What is a nutriscore?

Boosting Bread’s Nutri-Score: Simple Changes for Better Nutrition. First of all it is good to understand that locally certain different rules apply to Nutriscore due to local eating habits. Based on positives and negatives, nutritional benefits a score is being calculated between A to E.

Generically a product can get positive points based on its Energy. As in Sugars, Saturated Fatty Acids and Sodium. From this fruits, fibers and proteins are subtracted to get scores between -15 (best) to +40 (worst). The details on how to score vary per item. Suggesting to keeping the first part as low as possible and the second part as high as possible. The best results may be achieved. Reducing energy by less saturated fats and reducing sugars. By increasing fibers and/ or proteins your product can shift already from an C or B category to an A one.

Improvement in breads.

Looking at a bread, there is little to no sugar in there. Some saturated fatty acids you will find in there, and we will definitely have sodium in bread. If we are able to cut on saturated fatty acids. By introduction of a fiber, modified starch, emulsifier or a hydrocolloid. We reduce both energy as well as the saturated fatty acids. And so improving the sore.

You could reduced the level of sodium by the introduction of alternative salts, and possibly some flavourants (e.g. yeast extracts) in order to create similar processing, taste and structure. An example could be a (sea) salt with higher levels of natural occurring potassium and/ or magnesium based Chloride salts.

By enriching with insoluble and soluble fibers that would have minimal effects on dough viscosity. We can create a product that has minimally the same amount of fibres as a whole meal bread, but then as a white bread. Here you could think of Oligofructoses, soluble wheat or corn dextrins.

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