Multigrain Bread: Impact of Germinated Grain Supplement on Phytochemical Profile and Technological and Nutritional Properties

Modern diets often provide insufficient health-promoting nutrients, prompting the development of enriched staple foods. This study investigated the impact of incorporating germinated spelt (<i>Triticum spelta</i>), naked oat (<i>Avena nuda</i>), and buckwheat (<i>Fagopyrum esculentum</i>) seeds at 30% and 60% levels on the nutritional, technological, and sensory properties of wheat bread. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis verified the successful transfer of grain-specific bioactive compounds into the dough and bread matrix-benzoxazinoids (BOA, MBOA) from spelt, avenanthramides (AVN A, B, C) from oats, and flavonoids (e.g., rutin, vitexin, orientin) from buckwheat-emphasizing both free and bound metabolite fractions. Multigrain breads exhibited a complementary phytochemical profile. The antioxidant properties of the enriched breads were markedly enhanced, with germinated buckwheat providing the most pronounced increase. Analysis confirmed a significant increase in dietary fibre content proportional to the level of germinated grain addition, with almost double the content in 60% multigrain bread. Texture analysis indicated that the control crumb exhibited the greatest relative firming over 48 h during storage. Sensory evaluation showed that all of the enriched breads received high acceptability scores (>18/20). The incorporation of germinated seeds effectively enhances the nutritional value of bread, offering a promising strategy for developing health-promoting bakery products.