Development of Sourdough Bread Made with Probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Bacteria Addition

Abstract

Bread is a staple in the diet of people around the world. A new solution is the addition of selected strains of bacteria to the sourdough to increase the quality of the obtained bread. In the presented research, seven bread samples were baked and analysed, which differed by the selected strain of bacteria of the Lactiplantibacillus plantarum species used in sourdough preparation. The bread was subjected to a 3-day ageing test. The structure of the products was analysed using the texture profile analysis (TPA) method on days 1 and 3 of storage. It was observed that the samples with the addition of selected L. plantarum bacterial strains underwent the process of staling much slower than the control sample. The analysis of the viability of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in products after 1 and 3 days of storage was also performed. The obtained results indicate the highest survival rate of LAB in the control sample, i.e., the native microflora of baker’s starters, which was at 3.07 log CFU after one-day storage after baking. In the case of other samples, the viability of the bacteria was below 2.74 log CFU, which confirms a certain degree of thermostability of selected bacterial strains. The belonging of the isolated bacteria to the species L. plantarum was proven via genetic identification using the PCR method. A sensory analysis using the quantitative descriptive profile (QDP) method was also performed on the bread immediately after it was baked and cooled down. The analysis showed that the use of L. plantarum strains as starters did not significantly affect the aromatic and taste profiles of the samples compared to the control sample. The overall quality of the bread samples was high, above 6 units, with the control sample having the highest sensory quality of 7.5 units (on a scale of 0–10 units). The presented research suggests that it is possible to produce bread with bacteria that have health-promoting properties and good sensory quality, which enhances the textural features of the final product. Future research will focus on attempting to microencapsulate selected thermostable probiotic bacteria.