Lactobacillus plantarum ITM21B fermentation product and chickpea flour enhance the nutritional profile of salt reduced bakery products.

The study aimed at improving the nutritional profile of yeast leavened salt reduced sliced bread and puccia type bread fortified with a wheat-based Lactobacillus plantarum ITM21B fermentation product (Bio21B). The protein content of bread made under laboratory conditions was increased by using: (i) chickpea flour (CF) (15% wt/wt flour) and Bio21B or (ii) the Bio21B containing a fungal protease to favour the gluten hydrolysis. Products showed increased protein and total amino acid content and improved protein digestibility. Moreover, the formula significantly affected the protein pattern of breads which, according to the results of the microfluidic two-dimensional electrophoresis (µ2DE) protein pattern, were discriminated as observed by the PCA plot. The use of CF was validated at industrial pilot plant producing salt reduced sliced bread and puccia type bread. The resulting products showed improved nutritional profile and a sensory quality comparable to the company's products containing salt.

Formulation of yeast-leavened bread with reduced salt content by using a Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product.

A Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product (Bio21B), obtained after strain growth (14h) in a wheat flour-based medium, was applied in the bread-making process as taste enhancer, in order to obtain a yeast-leavened bread with reduced salt content (20% and 50%) with respect to a reference bread (REF) not containing the fermentation product. Sensory analysis indicated that the Bio21B bread with salt reduced by 50% had a pleasant taste similar to the salt-containing bread (REF). l-Glutamate and total free amino acid content did not differ between REF and Bio21B breads, while the acids lactic, acetic, phenyllactic, 4-OH-phenyllactic and indole-3-lactic were present only in Bio21B breads. Moreover, the presence of several umami (uridine monophosphate, inosine monophosphate, adenosine, and guanosine) and kokumi (γ-l-glutamyl-l-valine) taste-related molecules was ascertained both in REF and in Bio21B breads. Therefore, a possible role of the acidic molecules in compensating the negative perception of salt reduction can be hypothesized.