EFFECT OF ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND DOUGH CONDITIONERS ON THE SHELF-LIFE EXTENSION AND QUALITY OF FLAT BREAD, AS DETERMINED BY NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY

Authors: ABUGHOUSH, MAHMOUD - KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY; HERALD, THOMAS - KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY; Dowell, Floyd; XIE, FENG - KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY; ARAMOUNI, FADI - KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY; WALKER, CHUCK - KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: International Journal of Food Science and Technology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/29/2007
Publication Date: 2/1/2008
Citation: Abughoush, M., Herald, T., Dowell, F.E., Xie, F., Aramouni, F., Walker, C. 2008. Effect of antimicrobial agents and dough conditioners on the shelf-life extension and quality of flat bread, as determined by near-infrared spectroscopy. International Journal of Food Science and Technology. 43(2):365-372. Online. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2621.2007.01625.x

Interpretive Summary: Middle Eastern Countries are experiencing the emergence of Arabic flat bread high volume production and retail marketing over traditional unit baking and retailing. However, shelf life needs to be increased and bread quality improved to limit economic loss. We examined five improvers for improving shelf-life and bread quality, and the use of near-infrared spectroscopy to evaluate bread quality. The improver treatments included: sodium 9 stearoyl-2-lactylate, monoglycerides, hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose gum, high fructose corn syrup, and a combination of all the aforementioned improvers. The high fructose corn syrup and the improver combination caused the bread to exhibit a significantly longer tearing time to rupture than the other treatments at day zero. The sensory evaluation showed that the improver combination significantly improved the quality attributes. The spectroscopic analysis indicated that after 3 days, the control was less fresh than bread formulated with high fructose corn syrup or improver combinations.

Technical Abstract: Middle Eastern Countries are experiencing the emergence of high volume production and retail marketing over traditional unit baking and retailing. This phenomenon has revealed a shortcoming in quality issues in Arabic flat bread (AFB) manufacture. Therefore, shelf life extension and quality improvement are in demand to limit economic loss. Five improvers and a control were selected for improving shelf-life and quality of AFB. The improver treatments included: (1) sodium 9 stearoyl-2-lactylate (SSL), (2) monoglycerides (MG), (3) hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose gum (HPMC), (4) high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), and (5) a combination of all the aforementioned improvers. The HFCS and improver combination exhibited a significantly longer tearing time to rupture than the other treatments as day zero. The NIRS data indicated that after 3 days, the control was less resh than AFB formulated with HFCS or improver combinations. The sensory evaluation of AFB indicated that the improver combination significantly improved the quality attributes.