Partially Germinated Ingredients for Naturally Healthy and Tasty Products Germination, which is performed at a household level in many countries, is a natural and traditional way to improve the nutritional, functional, and sensory properties of grains such as pulses and cereals. Pulses are a rich source of vegetable proteins, dietary fibers, vitamins, and minerals. Unfortunately, their nutritional value is limited by the presence of antinutrients that reduce digestibility and micronutrient bioavailability. An industrial process has been developed recently to apply the advantages of germination at an industrial level. In this process, grains are partially germinated under controlled conditions and stabilized through drying to extend their shelf life. Scientific studies performed on several types of grains have verified that these novel ingredients are characterized by their reduced antinutrient and increased micronutrient contents. Moreover, their simple sugar content greatly increases, improving their flavor with a desirable sweet note. Baking trials have also shown that the addition of processed partially germinated wheat flour to bread markedly improves functional properties such as loaf volume and shelf life. These results demonstrate that partially germinated grains and flours have great potential as ingredients that can provide high nutritional value and improved properties for novel food product formulations. |