Gluten-free crackers made of hemp flour, green tea leaves

NOVI SAD, Serbia, March 17 (UPI) -- Food scientists in Serbia and Canada say they developed gluten-free crackers made with hemp flour and decaffeinated green tea leaves.

A team of food scientists from the University of Novi Sad in Serbia and Guelph Food Research Centre in Ontario found hemp flour, a by-product of cold-pressed hemp oil, used with decaffeinated green tea leaves could be used to develop a gluten-free snack cracker with functional properties.

Functional foods are products individuals might consume to increase their health or help prevent disease such as adding iodine to salt.

Hemp flour is a by-product of cold-pressing oil. It is rich in proteins, fibers, phytochemicals, minerals, omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids. In terms of amino acid composition, hemp seed proteins are comparable to the egg white and soy protein, the researchers said.

Hemp is the high growing variety of the cannabis plant and its products, which include fiber, oil and seed.

Green tea leaves contain compounds that have been shown to have health benefits, including cancer prevention, as well as decreasing low-density lipoprotein, or the "bad," cholesterol levels.

The findings were published in the Journal of Food Science published by the Institute of Food Technologists.