Assessment of Fiber-Enriched Pita Bread in The Lebanese Market: A Positive Correlation Between Dry Crude Fiber Content and TTA

Abstract

Due to increased health awareness, many people are making the switch from the traditional low-fiber Lebanese white pita bread to healthier high-fiber pita bread alternatives. Even though the price-to-weight ratio of white pita bread is controlled and unified among all Lebanese bakeries and brands and is enforced by the Lebanese Ministry of Economy and Trade, there is a highly significant difference in the price-to-weight ratio among the different brands that offer high-fiber pita bread. We sought to investigate the root cause of this difference by assessing the composition of two of the most sold high-fiber pita bread types in Lebanon (brown and oat). We tested brown and oat pita bread from three different Lebanese bakeries for price-to-weight ratio, fiber content, TTA, pH, moisture, and calories per gram. Using Pearson correlation coefficient, we did not detect any correlation between the price and any of the tested properties; however, a highly positive correlation between crude fiber content and TTA was detected.