Wheat bread enriched with 1 to 5% flaxseed hulls
What it found
Adding up to 5% ground flaxseed hulls to wheat bread raised antioxidant measures in lab tests.
It slightly lowered protein digestibility and made the loaf smaller and firmer, but people still accepted it.
What they found
Studies in people
Taste and acceptance
Human tasters rated the enriched bread slightly lower on sensory qualities. People still found it acceptable to eat.
Animal and lab studies
Antioxidants in lab tests
Bread with 5% flaxseed hulls had 93% more phenolics than plain bread. Its ability to neutralise free radicals rose by 176%. Reducing power went up by 220%.
Digestion in lab tests
After simulated digestion, the antioxidant compounds were available for absorption. Starch breakdown and expected blood sugar response stayed about the same. Protein digestibility dropped by up to 8%.
Other findings
Loaf size and texture
Adding flaxseed hulls made the bread loaf smaller. The inside crumb became harder.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that flaxseed hulls may be a useful food additive.
- Their results suggest the hulls raise antioxidant levels while keeping the bread acceptable to consumers.
How it was done
The authors wanted to see how adding ground flaxseed hulls changes the nutrition, antioxidant capacity and baking quality of wheat bread.
They baked wheat bread with 1 to 5% added flaxseed hulls and compared it to plain bread. They measured antioxidants, starch and protein breakdown in lab tests. They also checked loaf size, texture and taste with human tasters.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- Lab digestion tests cannot show exactly what happens when people eat this bread.
- This work looked only at short-term bread properties, not long-term health effects.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- University of Life Sciences, Poland; University of Warmia and Mazury, Poland
The paper
- Title
- Antioxidant, nutritional and functional characteristics of wheat bread enriched with ground flaxseed hulls
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Sęczyk Ł, Świeca M, Dziki D, Anders A, Gawlik-Dziki U (2017). Antioxidant, nutritional and functional characteristics of wheat bread enriched with ground flaxseed hulls. Food chemistry. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.07.068PubMed 27507444DOI
Summary written 1 Oct 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error