Sprouted grains in product development. Case studies of sprouted wheat for baking flours and fermented beverages

Abstract

Sprouted grains are a new addition to the food industry, being used as an ingredient in multiple food product developments because of their high nutritional value, interesting technological properties and sensory attributes. The germination conditions are decisive to produce appropriate physical and biochemical changes, that are responsible for ensuring the quality of sprouted grains and their particular characteristics to be used as food ingredients. However, there are a wide variety of conditions involved in the process and little is known yet about the optimization of these parameters of germination. In addition, bad practices during production could cause a high health risk by increasing the availability of nutrients for certain microorganisms and reducing barriers against them. In this article, sprouted wheat is chosen as being the most important staple food crop for more than one-third of the world’s population. Two case studies of sprouted wheat are presented: the effect of wheat germination time for producing new baking flours; and the evaluation of the microbiological risk of homemade Rej uvelac -a sprouted wheat-based fermented drink-, to develop a protocol for safety production. The properties of sprouted grains are emphasized with the purpose of inspiring innovative food products in the upcoming years.