Effects of Salt on Wheat Flour Dough Fermentation

Abstract

Most food chemistry characteristics in the dough fermentation of salt are not solved. Effects of salt on the acceleration process of wheat flour dough fermentation were studied, respectively. The mechanism of dough expansion influenced by salt and yeast was also investigated. The dough expansion rate with no salt reached a maximum of 18% in the 50 min dough fermentation time. In contrast, dough with 2.0% salt reached an expansion rate of 96% in 30 min of fermentation. Furthermore, the maximum dough expansion rate with 8.0% salt was 58% in 20 min. Lipid peroxidation catalyzed by baker’s yeast was observed in the dough fermentation process following the addition of salt. Although the baker’s yeast catalyzed lipid peroxidation salt triggered the reaction. The hydroperoxide produced in the induced lipid peroxidation reaction was found to play an unspecified role in the expansion phenomenon of dough. Based on these findings, we examined how salt is associated with the dough fermentation phenomenon. We hypothesized that the presence of salt would induce the following two chemical phenomena: 1) Salt enhances cross-linkages between gliadin and glutelin, which in turn leads to increased gluten content. 2) While baker’s yeast catalyzes lipid peroxidation, salt potentiates this reaction. We speculated that hydroperoxide, produced in lipid peroxidation, would accelerate the dough fermentation process, thereby resulting in a higher dough expansion rate. These results revealed some new findings in the biochemical effects of salt in bread making, which could break new ground in the bread-making industry.