Current trends in the enhancement of antioxidant activity of wheat bread by the addition of plant materials rich in phenolic compounds

•Enrichment of wheat bread with natural phenolic antioxidants.•Changes in antioxidant activity during the bread making process.•Antioxidant activity and quality of enriched bread.

In recent years, there has been a global trend towards the use of the natural substances present in the food as a source of antioxidant and functional ingredients. Especially natural antioxidants present in food have received considerable interest because of their safety and potential nutritional and therapeutic effects. Bread and bakery products have an important role in human nutrition. Generally, wheat bread is considered to be a good source of energy and irreplaceable nutrients for the human body. However bread made with white flour is a food with a low antioxidant capacity. This review is focused on enriching the wheat bread with natural raw materials rich in phenolic antioxidants such as cereals and seeds, spices, herbs and parts of green plants, fruit or vegetable products, and waste products from the food industry. These raw materials are often cheap and a very good source of phenolic antioxidants. Beside this, the information about changes in antioxidant activity during the bread making process were also discussed.