From Tradition to Innovation: Enhancing the Nutritional and Functional Quality of Chapati Through Modern Techniques

Chapati, an unleavened flatbread widely consumed in South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, faces significant challenges, including a high glycemic index, low micronutrient content, and limited shelf life. These limitations necessitate innovative approaches to enhance quality and meet consumer demands. This review explores advancements in chapati production, emphasizing biofortification, composite flour, industrial fortification, and ingredient pre-treatments. These approaches aim to address existing challenges, such as glycemic index, nutritional value, dough functionality, and processing quality of the chapati. The findings revealed that biofortified flours enhanced the antioxidant activity, puffing height, and elasticity. Composite flours improve nutritional profiles but may weaken dough stability, an issue partially addressed through extrusion and milling. Modified starches and hydrocolloids improve WHC, delay retrogradation, and enhance sensory qualities. The balanced gluten composition supported elasticity and extensibility, which are vital for achieving the desired puffing height and texture. Despite these advancements, gaps persist in optimizing formulations and understanding the genetic-environmental interactions affecting chapati quality. Future research should focus on synergistic ingredient combinations and comprehensive studies on dough functionality to develop a commercially viable, nutritious chapati. Such innovations promise to address dietary deficiencies, meet consumer expectations, and drive sustainable chapati production, ultimately fostering health and economic benefits.