Nutritional characterization of an Italian traditional bread from ancient grains: the case study of the durum wheat bread “Pane di Monreale”

Common wheat flour is the raw material of choice in bread-making; however, local food customs and the availability of supplies mainly determine the use of ingredients other than common wheat. In Southern Italy, durum wheat semolina from locally grown varieties is mainly used in bread-making that is still performed according to a long-lasting tradition. The traditional traits of some durum breads have been acknowledged by the Italian denomination Prodotto Agroalimentare Tradizionale—standing for Traditional Agricultural Food Product. Among them, “Pane di Monreale” refers to a traditional durum bread produced in the area of Monreale (Sicily). Despite being the cornerstones of the native diet, traditional products have been poorly studied. This paper reports on color characteristics, chemical composition, starch digestibility and carotenoid content of two samples of “Pane di Monreale” bread, made with the durum ancient grains Russello or Tumminia. A dominant red tone was found in the crust of both samples and a low content of lutein was detected. High crude fat and ash content was observed. A low amount of resistant starch was found, while the content of non-starch polysaccharides in Russello bread was two-fold higher than in Tumminia bread.