Repurposing Sunflower Seed Flour for Nutritional and Functional High-Protein Breads within a Circular Economy Framework

To repurpose and add value to a typically overlooked product, this study focused on fully optimizing the incorporation of partially defatted sunflower seed flour, a byproduct commonly produced during sunflower oil processing. Given its rich content of proteins and chlorogenic acid, this ingredient holds promise for inclusion in functional foods. A comprehensive chemical and proximal characterization of the formulations, coupled with a thorough assessment of the dough’s thermomechanical parameters and the resulting bread’s physical properties, was conducted. Our findings demonstrate the successful formulation of functional breads incorporating an aqueous extract of SF (SFE), where the rheological attributes are comparable with those of control breads formulated with wheat flour. These breads exhibit enhanced protein content and strong antioxidant activity (995 μmol Trolox·g–1). Additionally, they show significant antiamylase (92.81%) and antilipase (25.6%) activities. These findings highlight promising opportunities for developing functional breads aligning with a circular economy approach.