Advances in Research

Foods made from sustainable resources are gaining momentum because of their high nutritional value and potential health benefits in the global market. The study explored buckwheat and sago as raw materials for developing multigrain bread. Data were statistically assessed using one-way analysis of variance, and Duncan’s Multiple Range Test was used to compare treatments. Significant (p < 0.05) differences were observed in the physico-functional characteristics of refined wheat, buckwheat, and sago flours, except for the expansion ratio of different composite flour bread loaves. The maximum bulk density (0.68 g/mL), oil absorption capacity (170.47%), and foaming capacity (14.00%) were recorded with buckwheat flour; in contrast, water absorption capacity (155.32%) was higher with refined wheat flour, and only tapped density (0.86 g/mL) as well as swelling capacity (14.28 mL) were higher with sago flour. The refined wheat flour bulk density and swelling capacity, sago flour water, oil, and foaming capacity, and buckwheat tapped density were the lowest among the flours. Buckwheat grains’ and sago pearls’ physical and functional characteristics viz., bulk density (0.42 and 0.68 g/mL), true density (1.18 and 0.76 g/mL), porosity (64.40 and 13.15%), 100 grains weight (2.27 and 6.83 g), 100 grains volume (4.51 and 10.12 mL), hydration capacity (0.0120 and 0.1005 g/grain), hydration index (0.5313 and 0.01005), swelling capacity (0.0224 and 0.1165 mL/grain), and swelling index (0.3945 and 0.0116) were, respectively, acceptable for food processing operations and developing multigrain bread. Buckwheat and sago flours may be used in composite flour at 26.08% and 13.04%, respectively, to develop a gluten-free, fortified multigrain bread as a functional food, which may reduce dependence on a few food crops.