Abstract
In the present study, inclusion of mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.) powder into bread doughs at 5 and 10% substitution level of soft wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) flour was tested to produce protein fortified breads. The addition of mealworm powder (MP) did not negatively affect the technological features of either doughs or breads. All the tested doughs showed the same leavening ability, whereas breads containing 5% MP showed the highest specific volume and the lowest firmness. An enrichment in protein content was observed in experimental breads where the highest values for this parameter were recorded in breads containing 10% MP. Breads fortified with 10% MP also exhibited a significant increase in the content of free amino acids, and especially in the following essential amino acids: tyrosine, methionine, isoleucine, and leucine. By contrast, no differences in nutritional quality of lipids were seen between fortified and control breads. Results of sensory analyses revealed that protein fortification of bread with MP significantly affected bread texture and overall liking, as well as crust colour, depending on the substitution level. Overall, proof of concept was provided for the inclusion of MP into bread doughs started with different leavening agents (sourdough and/or baker’s yeast), at 5 or 10% substitution level of soft wheat flour. Based on the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) scale, the proposed bread making technology can be situated at level 4 (validation in laboratory environment), thus suggesting that the production of breads with MP might easily be scaled up at industrial level. However, potential spoilage and safety issues that need to be further considered were highlighted.
Highlights
IntroductionBread is a staple food throughout Europe and western countries; it is obtained from the baking of a leavened dough commonly prepared with wheat flour, water, and a leavening agent, with or without the addition of salt (sodium chloride) and other ingredients (e.g. malt, enzymes, animal fats, oils, hydrogenated fats, margarine, sugars, milk powder, bread improvers, stabilizers, etc.)
Bread is a staple food throughout Europe and western countries; it is obtained from the baking of a leavened dough commonly prepared with wheat flour, water, and a leavening agent, with or without the addition of salt and other ingredients
The recorded values were in the range of those previously reported by Gonzalez et al [13] in mealworm powder used for bread making and similar to those detected by Osimani et al [33] in whole dried mealworms
Summary
Bread is a staple food throughout Europe and western countries; it is obtained from the baking of a leavened dough commonly prepared with wheat flour, water, and a leavening agent, with or without the addition of salt (sodium chloride) and other ingredients (e.g. malt, enzymes, animal fats, oils, hydrogenated fats, margarine, sugars, milk powder, bread improvers, stabilizers, etc.). Different alternatives can be used, including: (i) chemicals (e.g. sodium bicarbonate); (ii) baker’s yeast, which essentially consists of Saccharomyces cerevisiae biomass; and (iii) sourdough. The latter consists of a mixture of flour and water spontaneously fermented by (or inoculated with) a mixed population of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeasts and propagated by back-slopping [1]. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have defined fortification as "the practice of deliberately increasing the content of an essential micronutrient, ie. vitamins and minerals (including trace elements) in a food irrespective of whether the nutrients were originally in the food before processing or not, so as to improve the nutritional quality of the food supply and to provide a public health benefit with minimal risk to health”
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