The growing demand for highly nutritious, health-promoting foods is encouraging the development of functional products containing high concentrations of bioactive nutrients. In this context, a recent study by a group of Italian researchers (Caponio et al., 2025) replaced a portion of whole durum wheat semolina with Pleurotus eryngii powder (PeP) at concentrations of 5 and 10% (w/w) to produce two variants of taralli, coded TPE5 and TPE10, respectively. Nutritionally, this fungal species is rich in proteins, essential minerals, fiber (particularly β-glucans), and antioxidants.

The results demonstrate that the inclusion of PeP in taralli increases total dietary fiber while improving total phenolic content. This is primarily due to the presence of polysaccharides in cereals and mushrooms, especially β-glucans. The higher fiber and polyphenol content in the enriched samples contributes to a significant reduction in the glycemic index and starch hydrolysis. The presence of PeP also significantly reduces intracellular ROS (reactive oxygen species) levels in HCT8 human colon cancer cells, demonstrating strong antioxidant potential.

Overall, the results obtained so far indicate that PeP enrichment significantly improves the nutritional profile of taralli, offering potential health benefits to consumers.

References: G.R. Caponio et al., National Conference on Food Science and Technology, Bologna, 9-10 June 2025, 39