Nutritional Profile of Ancestral Wheat Varieties (TriticumSpelta) and bakery products Obtained Under Organic Agriculture in Argentina.

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the nutritional profile of only two organic whole spelt flours available at the market in Argentina, comparing their performance with a whole wheat bread flour (Triticum aestivum) of high industrial quality. Spelt wheat “Dinkel ECOFAUNO“ (DK) and “OberKulmer ROTKORN” (OR) varieties were cultivated and certified under the organic farming conditions between 2018-2019 years in the Wheat Subregion IV Argentina. The samples of two spelt with different granulometry and whole wheat varieties were analysed: moisture, protein, Crude fat, minerals, ash, Crude Fiber, Falling Number, rheological parameters as well as bakery products. Statistically significant differences were observed among the three flours in gluten quality, baking strength, tenacity and extensibility ratio and farinographic characteristics (development time, stability and quality number). In DK , the wet and dry gluten content were the highest and showed significant differences with respect to the other flours. DK presented statistically different values of Crude Fat and Crude fiber compared to OR. The analyzed minerals showed similar concentrations, with higher Phosphorus and Sodium content in DK. Spelt flours presented higher amylasic activity compared to whole wheat flour. These results suggested that spelt whole flourswere being more suitable for making cookiesand other bakery products providing carbohydrates, high protein quality, and minerals. To consolidate this investigation more studies need to be performed.