A study of factors which influence mould spoilage in flat (sourdough) bread
Institute of Refrigeration and Biotechnologies, ITMO University, Lomonosova Street 9, 191002 St Petersburg, Russia;
*Correspondence: 1103savkina@mail.ru
Abstract:
Bakery products are an excellent substrate for the development of microbial spoilage, especially mould spoilage and lime disease (otherwise known as chalk disease), because they have high levels of water activity aw = 0.94-0.97 and pH 5.5-6.0. Sliced bread in its packaging is highly susceptible to moulds and lime disease during storage. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects shown by the microbial contamination of flour quality, and the type of sourdough and organic acid, especially acetic acid, on mould spoilage in wheat and rye wheat bread. Microbial contaminations were studied in two batches of wheat flour and three batches of rye flour which had been manufactured in Belarus and Russia and in sourdough bread which had been produced using this flour. Investigated here was the impact of the quality and type of sourdough with various starter cultures of micro-organisms and the impact of the content of organic acid, especially acetic acid, on mould spoilage in wheat and rye wheat bread. The content of organic acids, including acetic acid, in different types of sourdough which has been prepared using different starter cultures and in different kinds of sourdough bread which have been studied using liquid chromatography. It was found that, in spite of the presence in flour of spore-forming bacteria, yeasts, and fungi, microbial contamination of the finished product immediately after baking was absent. It was proven that the use of starter cultures and sourdough can slow down or prevent entirely the microbial spoilage of bread. It was found that the content of acetic acid which had been accumulated during the fermentation of various types of sourdough served to effect the presence of mould spoilage on sourdough bread.
Key words:
bread, microbial contamination, microbial spoilage, mould, sourdough