Changes to Structural\nand Compositional Features of\nWater-Soluble Arabinoxylans in Sourdough Bread

This research investigates the influence of milling methods\nand\nstarter cultures on the structural characteristics of water-extractable\narabinoxylans (WE-AX) in stone-milled whole-grain flour and sourdough\nbread. Stone milling was conducted to generate six different whole\nwheat flour samples, from which sourdough bread was produced using\nwheat and rye starter cultures. The study found that both milling\nparameters and the type of starter culture significantly impacted\nthe fine structural details of WE-AX, including sugar composition,\narabinoxylan (AX) content, and the arabinose-to-xylose (A/X) ratio\nvalues. These differences were statistically significant (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Furthermore, transforming flour into sourdough\nbread resulted in the molecular degradation of AX, significantly reducing\nits molecular weight and leading to a more heterogeneous fine structure.\nThis detailed characterization of AX’s alterations during food\nprocessing provides insights into evaluating its potential health\nbenefits in whole-grain products.