Influence of salt content on the characteristics of bread

Abstract

Due to the strong evidence of the relationship between sodium consumption and cardiovascular disease, many countries have established strategies to reduce salt in food. In order to achieve this objective, the influence of salt levels in the bread formula between 1 and 2% (flour base) on the characteristics of the two varieties of bread with the highest consumption in the country (the hard crust and the normed soft) was studied. The breads were prepared by the direct method and their weight, volume, specific volume, height and diameter were determined. In addition, they were sensory evaluated for their attributes, an ordering was made by salinity and it was asked if any level was rejected. In both types of bread, in the sensory ordering tests, no significant differences were found (p ≤ 0.01) between the salinity of the breads with 2% and 1.75% or for 1.5% in the hard crust bread. In both types of bread, a linear relationship with a negative coefficient was found between the salt factor and the response variables: volume, specific volume, diameter, external appearance, internal appearance and smell (the latter only for soft crust bread). Quadratic models were found for the taste and general impression with negative signs, which indicates that the panelists for a level of medium salt (1.5%) found the best taste and general impression. Therefore, under the conditions of this work it was possible to achieve the reduction of salt from 2% to 1.5% without affecting the quality of the product

Keywords: salt, bread, sensory evaluation.