The effect of salt reduction on dough mixing properties and Arabic bread sensory characteristics -

Abstract

The relationship between salt-sodium intake and chronic diseases is well established. Bread is the main staple in the Middle East and was shown to be a significant contributor to salt intake. Salt fulfills important functional and sensory properties in bread and decreasing its level could significantly impact the overall dough and bread qualities. The objectives of this work were to assess the effect of salt reduction on the mixing properties of Arabic bread dough as well as the sensory characteristics of the resulting bread. Three treatments, NaCl, agglomerated salt (Ag-NaCl), and partial substitution of NaCl with 30percent KCl (NaCl-KCl), were used at 5 different salt levels (0.3, 0.6, 0.9, 1.2 and 1.5percent wt-wt in flour) to develop 15 versions of Arabic bread. Farinograph measurements were conducted to analyze the mixing properties of dough. Breads were evaluated for acceptability with 72 panelists, and the optimal salty taste level in the samples was determined using a Just-About-Right (JAR) scale. A two-stage discrimination test was carried out to assess differences between the treatments and a selected control (0.9percent NaCl). Descriptive analysis (DA) was used with 12 judges to characterize the key attributes of the different bread samples. Because taste is crucial when reducing salt, the salty equivalence of the salt substitutes was also determined using the magnitude estimation method. All sensory analyses were conducted using the Compusense at-hand® sensory evaluation software. Farinograph results showed that decreasing salt levels significantly impacted mixing properties of dough. Decreasing salt levels lowered the stability and the time to breakdown while the mixing tolerance index of the dough increased (p0.05). Acceptability of bread was not significantly dependent on salt content; however, ratings on the JAR scale showed that the optimal salt level in bread was 0.9percent NaCl. At levels of 0.6percent and 0.9percent NaCl-KCl and 0.6percent Ag-NaCl, bread samples were not different from the 0.9percent NaCl treatment (p0.05). DA sh