Development and Evaluation of Functional Bread from Whole Wheat, Red Kidney Beans and Defatted Coconut Flour Blends

Growing consumer awareness of the relationship between dietary patterns and health outcomes has significantly driven the demand for functional foods.This study evaluated the quality characteristics of functional bread developed from the blends of whole wheat (WH), red kidney beans (RKB), and coconut flour (CF). Flours were produced from whole wheat (WW), RKB, and CF, and used to formulate six samples: S1 (100% refined wheat), S2 (100% WW), S3 (90% WW, 5% RKB, 5% CF), S4 (85% WW, 10% RKB, 5% CF), S5 (80% WW, 15% RKB, 5% CF), and S6 (75% WW, 20% RKB, 5% CF). The flour blends were processed into bread and analyzed for in vitro glycaemic index, total flavonoid, and phenolic contents, and antioxidant properties (radical scavenging activity by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). The glycaemic index, of the optimized bread were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than in the control sample having 2.65% (sample S1) to 3.5% (sample S6). The total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the control and optimized bread were significantly (p < 0.05) different with values ranging from 0.77 mg FAE /g (sample S1) to 1.74 mg FAE /g (sample S6) and 20.60 µg CE /g (sample S1) to 33.86 µg CE /g (sample S6) respectively. A significant (P<0.05) variation was observed in the DPPH with values ranging from 2.65 (sample S1) to 3.50 (sample S6). The findings indicate that the glycaemic index and antioxidant capacity of the developed functional bread substantiate its potential health-promoting benefits.