Abstract
Smell and aroma are important determinants of consumer acceptance, so gaining deeper insight into bread smell and aroma perception is a research goal. Sixteen combinations of four variables were investigated, to evaluate the contributions of bread chemical and rheological properties and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) towards sensory acceptability of breads: genotypes (landrace vs. modern); types of flour (wholemeal vs. semolina); leavening agents (brewing yeast vs. sourdough starter); and baking modes (gas-fired vs. wood-fired). Milling had the greatest impact over the other treatments for the rheological and chemical properties, including for VOCs, with great impact on the sensory traits of the flours and breads. The processing phases had great impact on smell and aroma, as defined through formation of alcohols, aldehydes, terpenes, and other compounds (e.g., ethylbenzene, 2-pentylfuran, methoxyphenyl oxime). Leavening agent had great impact on sensory perception, although breads from the sourdough starter were perceived as with lower taste and colour than the brewing yeast. Baking mode had no relevant role on sensory perception. These data strongly undermine the belief of a ‘better product’ that is frequently attributed to old genotypes versus modern cultivars, and indicate that the milling and the bread-making processes determine the quality of the end product.
Highlights
Durum wheat [(Triticum turgidum (L.) ssp. durum (Desf.)] is the main ingredient of pasta, couscous, bulgur and some breads in Mediterranen areas[1]
Genotype (G) and milling (M) strongly affected the chemical and rheological parameters and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by flours, whereas fewer effects were seen for the G × M interaction (Table 1)
A G × M interaction for the VOC classes released by the milling product was seen only for alcohols, which did not differ between flours for ‘Dauno III’, but were higher for the ‘Sfinge’ semolina than wholemeal
Summary
Durum wheat [(Triticum turgidum (L.) ssp. durum (Desf.)] is the main ingredient of pasta, couscous, bulgur and some breads in Mediterranen areas[1]. Most regional breads are produced through traditional methods, which include the use of flours (e.g., wholemeal, semolina) from specific durum wheat genotypes, and the long-term use of natural locally refreshed sourdoughs for leavening. This frequently results in breads with a yellowish colour, a characteristic taste, smell and aroma, a fine crumb structure, and a prolonged shelf-life, all of which give these breads high appeal to consumers. For instance, perceive higher nutritional and functional value and better sensory properties of wholemeal bread from old genotypes prepared using traditional/ancient methods (such as cooking in wood oven), compared to bread from modern cultivars using industrial milling processes, and leavened with brewing yeast[6,7]. Each VOC can be perceived at the different concentration that define its individual activity threshold[18]
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