Flaxseed hulls added to wheat bread change nutrition and texture
What it found
Adding ground flaxseed hulls to wheat bread raised its antioxidant measures but made the loaf smaller and the crumb harder.
In lab tests, the bread's phenolics were available after simulated digestion.
What they found
Studies in people
Taste test
Sensory evaluation showed a slightly unfavorable effect on bread sensory properties, but consumer acceptability was still satisfactory.
Animal and lab studies
Digestion availability
After simulated digestion in the lab, the phenolic antioxidants in the bread were bioaccessible.
Other findings
Antioxidants up
Bread with 5 percent flaxseed hulls had 93 percent more phenolics, 176 percent more radical scavenging ability and 220 percent more reducing power than plain bread.
Starch unchanged
Adding flaxseed hulls had no significant effect on rapidly or slowly digestible starch, starch digestibility in the lab, or expected glycemic index values.
Protein digestion down
Relative protein digestibility fell by up to 8 percent.
Bread texture
Enrichment decreased loaf volume and increased crumb hardness.
What the authors conclude
“In view of these facts, it is concluded that flaxseed hulls may be a beneficial food additive.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that flaxseed hulls may be a beneficial food additive.
How it was done
They baked wheat bread with 1 to 5 percent ground flaxseed hulls and compared it with plain bread. They measured antioxidant capacity, starch and protein digestion in the lab, loaf volume, crumb hardness and how people rated the bread.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This was a lab study of bread, not a study of health effects in people.
- It cannot show what eating this bread over time does to a person's health.
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 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error