Nutrient Composition, Physical Characteristics and Sensory Quality of Spinach-Enriched Wheat Bread

Food innovation that utilises agricultural waste while enhancing nutritional value is important for waste valorisation and consumer health. This study investigated incorporating spinach (Spinacia oleracea), as a model leafy agricultural waste, into wheat bread. We analysed the nutrient content, colour, texture, sensory attributes and purchase/consume intention ratings. Adding 10-40% spinach (w/w) yielded loaves with similar heights but significantly different colour and texture (p < 0.05) from white bread. Increasing spinach decreased total carbohydrates (including starch) while significantly increasing other nutrients (protein, fibre, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, calcium, vitamins A, C, E, folate, niacin, pyridoxine, nitrate/nitrite and polyphenols) (p < 0.05). Spinach addition increased bread porosity, linked to higher pasting parameters (peak, trough, breakdown, final and setback viscosity) with reduced pasting time and temperature. Texture analysis resulted in decreased hardness, chewiness, gumminess and firmness while increasing cohesiveness, with maximum resilience at 20% spinach enrichment. Sensory analysis with 21 untrained panellists revealed decreased visual appeal, less preferred taste, odour and overall liking (p < 0.05) with increasing spinach, with no significant difference in texture acceptance, but the 20% enrichment had comparable acceptance to white bread. Enriching staple foods like bread with leafy vegetable waste offers a promising approach for increasing daily vegetable intake.