Chestnut and Breads: Nutritional, Functional, and Technological Qualities

Abstract

Abstract Chestnut and related products are attracting great interest from the food sector, thanks to their gluten-free nature and good content of starch, minerals, vitamins, fibers, and antioxidant compounds. The use of chestnut flour in bread-making proved to be a good way to enhance both the technological and nutritional quality of common products. The enrichment of breads with chestnut flour was acceptable up to a certain level, but excessive content of chestnut flour was to the detriment of the product and a substitution level of about 20%–30% was the most suitable level. The addition of chestnut flour creates a darker and often harder product but, especially for gluten-free breads, it has improved both the dough machinability, consistency, color, and aroma, with even better performance during the shelf life, with promising results. This chapter deals with several scientific explorations of the effects of chestnut enrichment of breads, in both gluten and gluten-free applications.