Effects of baking on protein digestibility of organic spelt products determined by two in vitro digestion methods

Consumption of organic foods is steadily increasing because it is believed to be healthier than conventional foods. This study was designed to investigate protein digestibility of organic spelt bread, biscuit, cookie and muffin in comparison to their corresponding normal wheat products. Three types of fermented bread products namely, yeast leavened, sour and yeast/sour dough were evaluated. Protein digestibility was assessed based on two methods, three-enzyme one-step and two-enzyme two-step digestion in vitro. The one-step digestion method produced results that were comparable with in vivo (rat) methods whereas the two-step digestion method was more reliable in determining differences among the examined wheat products. Organic spelt used in the present study was comparable to common wheat in protein content averaging 15.4 g/100 g dry matter. Slight differences were observed between organic spelt and common wheat products in protein digestibility determined by the two digestion methods. However, significant differences were found among each wheat products. In general, after baking protein digestion was significantly increased. Spelt and common wheat bread products had similar protein digestibility within each type of bread with sour dough breads had the highest protein digestibility. Biscuit, cookie and muffin products possessed lower protein digestibility than breads. In general, variations in protein digestibility due to baking were more noticeable than that found between the two wheats.