Complimenting gluten free bakery products with dietary fiber: Opportunities and constraints

Gluten-free (GF) bakery products available in the market are often poor in nutritional value, flavor, mouthfeel and have double the price as compared to traditional products. Strict GF diet has raised long-term concerns about food choices and dietary habits of celiac disease (CD) patients. The limited intake of dietary fiber (DF) in GF diet along with other deficient nutrients is the main concern for the coeliacs, as the wheat flour is replaced with rice flour and commercially available starches, which results in lower DF intake. The population surveys indicated a lower intake of DF in coeliacs. The DFs from pseudo-cereals, GF cereals, fruits, vegetables, legumes and pulses are commonly used to complement the deficiency of GF products. Addition of DF significantly affects the color, firmness, moistness, crumb staling and microstructural feature of GF products. The coeliacs are advised to complement the DF intake from pseudo-cereals, fruits, legumes and pulses. This article covers the challenges faced by the food industry while complementing GF products with DF and the effect of DF on the techno-functional properties of the products with reference to GF products. •Strict GF diet raised a concern for CD patients as the wheat flour is replaced with rice flour.•Coeliacs are advised to intake their DF need from pseudocereals, fruits, vegetables etc.•DF addition affects the color, moistness, crumb staling and microstructural feature.•Gums and hydrocolloids can be used to improve the quality of GF products.