RESUMO
Effect of spent brewer's yeast ß-D-glucan incorporation (0.25-2.00%, w/w wheat flour) on the characteristics of wheat flour dough and bread during chilled storage at 4 °C for 8 days was investigated. The dough containing 0.75% yeast ß-D-glucan had the highest strength, work of adhesion, and stickiness. The addition of yeast ß-D-glucan up to 0.75% yielded the breads with an appearance comparable to the control bread (without yeast ß-D-glucan). The staling of bread was retarded by the addition of yeast ß-D-glucan up to 0.75% as evidenced by the higher retained moisture content and cohesiveness and the lower L* value and hardness of the bread crumb during chilled storage compared to the control and the 1.00-2.00% yeast ß-D-glucan breads. The 0.75% yeast ß-D-glucan bread exhibited the lowest melting enthalpy of retrograded starch (ΔHret), the lowest B-type- and total crystallinities, the least microstructure change of the crumb matrix, and the highest consumer acceptance after 4 days chilled storage. These results suggested that the incorporation of an appropriate amount of yeast ß-D-glucan could improve the quality and shelf life of bread or other starch-based food products during chilled storage.