Fresh elderberry or spinach purées as dual natural colour and early texture modulators in sorghum glutenfree bread

Gluten-free breads typically exhibit rapid firming and limited natural color diversity, which issues are usually addressed through multiple additives. This study evaluated the properties of adding fresh elderberry (Sambucus nigra) and spinach (Spinacia oleracea) purées (15–35%, flour basis) as multifunctional ingredients for sorghum (Sorghum oryzoidum) gluten-free bread. Nine bread recipes were analysed for their instrumental texture, crumb CIELAB color, sensory profile, and consumer acceptability at 6 h and 24 h post-baking. At 6 h, bread with added spinach puree at 35% achieved wheat-like softness, while bread with added elderberry pureeincreased crumb firmness. After 24 h, all breads firmed, but bread with added 35% of spinacj puree remained substantially softer than the sorghum reference sample. Elderberry purée shifted crumb color towards redviolet hues, spinach puree did it towards green-yellow hues, while the variants of bread with added spinach showed the lowest 24 h color change (ΔE*ab<3.5). Consumer scores were consistently high (≥7.0 on day 1), with 35% elderberry-enriched bread which retained the highest liking rating after 24 h. These findings demonstrate that fresh plant purées can expand natural colours diversity and attenuate early firming in gluten-free bread, supporting their application as clean-label alternatives to the conventional additives.

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