Whole grain pearl millet-based gluten-free bread: A novel alternative with nutrition and sensory appeal

• Pearl millet flour (MF) is a nutrient-rich sustainable ingredient for breadmaking. • Determination of MF and water (W) levels to optimize gluten-free bread quality. • The use of MF results in improving the nutritional composition of gluten-free bread. • Formulations prepared with 50 %MF+130 %W, 100 %MF+130 %W, and 75 %MF+115 %W are promising. • Great potential of MF for producing nutrient dense and acceptable gluten-free bread. This study shows the great potential of pearl millet flour (MF) for producing nutrient dense and acceptable gluten-free (GF) bread, which is an innovation considering the actual commercial reality. This research highlights the use of design of experiments and multivariate analysis to determine the proper MF and water (W) levels to optimize GF bread quality. Considering both nutrition and sensory features, GF bread formulations prepared with 50 %MF+130 %W, 100 %MF+130 %W, and 75 %MF+115 %W are promising. Formulations prepared with the combination of 75 %MF+115 %W and 100 %MF+130 %W can be classified as a whole grain product. The use of MF results in improving the nutritional composition of GF bread, especially the dietary fibre and protein contents in comparison to white GF and wheat bread.