Barley flour in pita boosts antioxidants and vitamin E
What it found
Pita breads made with 50% barley flour had higher antioxidant capacity and, in most cases, more vitamin E than standard pita.
The barley pitas were also found acceptable to consumers.
What they found
Studies in people
Consumer acceptance
Sensory analysis suggested these pitas were acceptable to consumers and had similar physical and sensory properties to the control pita.
Other findings
Antioxidant capacity
All pitas made with whole grain or pearled barley flour had higher antioxidant capacity than standard pita.
Vitamin E content
Most barley pitas also had higher vitamin E content than standard pita.
Pearling effect
Pearling reduced antioxidant and vitamin E levels compared to whole grains, but the amount of reduction differed among barley types.
Best barley sources
The highest antioxidant and vitamin E levels were in pita made from malt flour or Finniss whole grain flour.
What the authors conclude
“All pitas made from either whole grain or pearled barley flour had a higher antioxidant capacity and most also had higher vitamin E content than standard pita.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that pita made from malt flour or Finniss whole grain flour had the greatest antioxidant and vitamin E levels.
- They note that these pitas were acceptable to consumers and retained similar physical and sensory properties to the control.
How it was done
The authors wanted to increase the antioxidant and vitamin E content of pita bread by using barley flours known to be high in these compounds.
They replaced 50% of the standard baker's flour with flour from covered or hulless barley genotypes, including malt, whole-grain, and pearled flours. They measured antioxidant capacity and vitamin E in the flours and baked pitas, and assessed physical and sensory properties.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This study measured antioxidant capacity and vitamin E in the bread, not health effects in people.
- It does not show whether eating these pitas would change antioxidant or vitamin E levels in the body.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- School of Agriculture, Australia
The paper
- Title
- Enrichment of Antioxidant Capacity and Vitamin E in Pita Made from Barley
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Do TT, Muhlhausler B, Box A, Able AJ (2016). Enrichment of Antioxidant Capacity and Vitamin E in Pita Made from Barley. Journal of food science. doi:10.1111/1750-3841.13218PubMed 26784395DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error