Purple Bread is Being Hailed as the First Baked Superfood
If you love white bread but avoid it because of the carbs and lack of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, yet the texture of wholegrain bread turns you off, purple bread might be the answer for you.
Purple bread is being hailed as the first baked superfood. Professor Zhou Weibiao, a food scientist at the National University of Singapore, says that bread has been “under attack” for 10 years. That’s because white bread is digested too fast, causes blood sugar spikes, and is linked to obesity and diabetes.
And because regular white bread is digested so quickly, people often eat more of it than they should.
So Zhou invented a purple bread that is rich in antioxidants and made entirely of natural compounds. It is digested 20% more slowly than white bread.
The bread was created using anthocyanins extracted from black rice. Anthocyanins provide the pigment that is naturally occurring in grapes, blueberries, and sweet potatoes. Apart from giving these foods their vibrant color, anthocyanins have been proven to be rich in antioxidants that reduce inflammation, prevent cardiovascular disease, lower the risk of obesity and diabetes, and prevent cancer.
Read: Blueberries, Strawberries Cut Heart Attack Risk by 1/3
When anthocyanins are mixed with the bread’s starch, a chemical reaction occurs that results in the 20% slower digestion. Purple bread contains the same amount of starch and wheat flour, so the calorie count is the same as regular white bread, but people won’t have the same energy crash that they have when they eat white bread.
Explained Zhou:
“You are eating the same amount of starch and wheat flour, so the nutritional value is the same. The key idea here is slowing down the energy release, so you use those calories over a longer period of time.”
About 80% of the antioxidants and other healthful qualities of the bread withstand baking in its crust and crumbs, even at 392 degrees Fahrenheit. [1]
“The challenge was to see if we could change the formula of bread, without changing the smooth texture of white bread that people really love.
“Despite its antioxidant capacity and associated health benefits, the knowledge of using anthocyanins as an ingredient in food products is very limited.”
The purple bread is not yet commercially available, but Zhou said he has been approached by major food manufacturers.
Purple bread won’t necessarily be a healthful alternative to white bread for people with gluten sensitivities or diabetes. But for generally healthy bread-lovers, it could be a healthier, once-in-a-while treat.
Zhou said:
“If you want to enjoy the texture of white bread and slow down digestion, this is probably the best formula. And the color isn’t bad, either.”
Sources:
[1] Men’s Fitness
Featured image sourced from CNN
