Reduction of salt in yeasted wheat bread: impact on bread quality and solutions using sourdough fermented by functional lactic acid bacteria strains

The dietary intake of sodium chloride has increased considerably over the last few decades due to changes in the human diet. This higher intake has been linked to a number of diseases including hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. Numerous international health agencies, as well as the food industry, have now recommended a salt intake level of 5-6 g daily, approximately half of the average current daily intake level. Cereal products, and in particular bread, are a major source of salt in the Western diet. Therefore, any reduction in the level of salt in bread could have a major impact on global health. However, salt is a critical ingredient in bread production, and its reduction can have a deleterious effect on the production process as well as on the final bread quality characteristics such as shelf-life, bread volume and sensory characteristics, all deviating from the bakers’ and consumers’ expectations. This work addresses the feasibility of NaCl reduction in wheat bread focusing on options to compensate NaCl with the use of functional sourdoughs. Three strains were used for the application of low-salt bread; L. amylovorus DSM19280, W. cibaria MG1 and L. reuteri FF2hh2. The multifunctional strain L. reuteri FF2hh2 was tested the first time and its application could be demonstrated successfully. The functionalities were based on the production of exopolysaccharides as well as the production of antifungal compounds. While the exopolysaccharides, mainly high molecular dextrans, positively influenced mainly bread loaf volume, crumb structure and staling rate, the strains producing antifungal compounds prolonged the microbial shelf life significantly and compensated the lack of salt. The impact on the sensory characteristics of bread were evaluated by descriptive sensory evaluation. The increase in surface area as well as the presence of organic acids impacted significantly on the flavour profile of the sourdough bread samples. The flavour attribute “salt” could be enhanced by sourdough addition and increased the salty perception. Furthermore, a trained sensory panel evaluated for the first time the impact of yeast activity, based on different salt and yeast concentrations, on the volatile aroma profile of bread crumb samples. The analytical measurements using high resolution gas chromatography and proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) resulted in significantly different results based on different yeast activities. Nevertheless, the extent of the result could not be recognised by the sensory panel analysing the odour profile of the bread crumb samples. Hence, the consumer cannot recognised low-salt bread by its odour. The use of sourdough is a natural option to overcome the broad range of technological issues caused by salt reduction and also a more popular alternative compared to existing chemical salt replacers.

4-(2-Hydroxyethyl) anilinium 3,5-dinitrobenzoate

In the title compound, C8H12NO+ C7H3N2O6-, the anilinium and hydroxyl protons of the cation result in N-H...O, N-H..(O,O) and O-H...O hydrogen-bonding interactions with carboxylate O atom acceptors, forming a two-dimensional network structure. An intermolecular C-H...O interaction is also present.

4-Chloroanilinium 2-carboxy-4,5-dichlorobenzoate

The structure of the 1:1 proton-transfer compound of 4-chloroaniline with 4,5-dichlorophthalic acid (DCPA), viz. C6H7ClN+ C8H3Cl2O4-, has been determined at 130 K. The non-planar hydrogen phthalate anions and the 4-chloroanilinium cations form two-dimensional O-H...O and N-H...O hydrogen-bonded substructures which have no peripheral extension. Between the sheets there are weak \p--\p associations between alternating cation--anion aromatic ring systems [shortest centroid separation, 3.735(4)A].

1,10-phenanthrolin-1-ium 2-carboxy-4,5-dichlorobenzoate

In the structure of the 1:1 proton-transfer compound of 1,10-phenanthroline with 4,5-dichlorophthalic acid, C12H9N2+ C8H3Cl2O4-, determined at 130 K, the 1,10-phenanthroline cation and the hydrogen 4,5-dichlorophthalate anion associate through a single N-H...O(carboxyl) hydrogen bond giving discrete units which have no extension except through a number of weak cation C-H...O(anion) associations and weak cation--anion aromatic ring pi-pi interactions [minimum centroid separation, 3.6815(12)A]. The anions are essentially planar [maximum deviation 0.214(1)A (a carboxyl O)] with the syn-related H atom of the carboxyl group forming a short intramolecular O-H...O(carboxyl) hydrogen bond.

4-(4-Nitrobenzyl)pyridinium 5-nitrosalicylate

In the title salt, C12H11N2O2+·C7H4NO5-, the cations and anions interact through asymmetric cyclic pyridinium-carboxylate N-HO,O' hydrogen-bonding associations [graph set R12(4)], giving discrete heterodimers having weak cation-anion - aromatic ring interactions [minimum ring centroid separation = 3.7116 (9) Å]

Bis[2-(2,4-dinitrobenzyl)pyridinium] biphenyl-4,4'-disulfonate

In the structure of the title compound, the salt 2(C12H10N3O4+) (C12H8O6S2)2- . 3H2O, determined at 173 K, the biphenyl-4,4'-disulfonate dianions lie across crystallographic inversion centres with the sulfonate groups interacting head-to-head through centrosymmetric cyclic bis(water)-bridged hydrogen-bonding associations [graph set R4/4(11)], forming chain structures. The 2-(2,4-dinitrobenzyl)pyridinium cations are linked to these chains through N+-H...O(water) hydrogen bonds and a two-dimensional network structure is formed through water bridges between sulfonate and 2-nitro O atoms, while the structure also has weak cation--anion pi-pi aromatic ring interactions [minimum ring centroid separation 3.8441(13)A].

4-Methylpyridinium 2-carboxy-4,5-dichlorobenzoate

In the structure of the 1:1 proton-transfer compound of 4-methylpyridine (\g-picoline) with 4,5-dichlorophthalic acid, C6H8N+ C8H3Cl2O4- . H2O, determined at 200 K, the 4,5-dichlorophthalate anions are bridged by the water molecule through O--H...O~carboxyl~ hydrogen bonds, giving zig-zag chains which extend along the c axial direction of the unit cell. The 4-methylpyridine cations are linked to the chains through single N--H...O~water~ hydrogen bonds and occupy the voids within the chains in the one-dimensional structure. The anions have the common 'planar' conformation with the short intramolecular O--H...O(carboxyl) hydrogen bond.

Imidazolium galactarate

In the structure of title compound, 2(C3H5N2^+^) C~6~H~8~O~8~^2-^ . 2H~2~O the galactarate dianions have crystallographic inversion symmetry and together with the water molecules of solvation form hydrogen-bonded sheet substructures which extend along the (110) planes in the unit cell. The imidazolium cations link these sheets peripherally down c through carboxyl O...H-N,N'---H...O(hydroxyl) bridges, giving a three-dimensional framework structure.

Bis(4-carbamoylpiperidinium)biphenyl-4,4'-disulfonate

In the title isonipecotamide salt 2C6H13N2O+.C12H8O6S22-,the asymmetric unit comprises one biphenyl-4,4'-disulfonate dianion which lies across a crystallographic inversion centre and another in a general position [dihedral angle between the two phenyl rings is 37.1(1)deg], together with three isonipecotamide cations. Two of these cations give a cyclic homomeric amide-amide dimer interaction [graph set R2/2(8)],the other giving a similar dimeric interaction but across an inversion centre, both dimers then forming lateral cyclic R2/4(8) pyrimidinium N-H...O interactions. These units are linked longitudinally to the sulfonate groups of the dianions through piperidinium N-H...O hydrogen bonds, giving a three-dimensional framework structure.

4-Carbamoylpiperidinium acetate monohydrate

In the structure of the title compound, C6H13N2O+ C2H3O2- . H2O, the amide H atoms of the cations form centrosymetric cyclic hydrogen-bonding associations incorporating two water molecules [graph set R^2^~4~(8)], which are conjoint with cyclic water-bridged amide-amide associations [R^4^~4~(12)] and larger R4/4(20) associations involving the water molecule and the acetate anions, which bridge through the piperidinium H donors, giving an overall three-dimensional framework structure.

4-Carbamoylpiperidinium phenylacetate hemihydrate

In the structure of the title compound, C6H13N2O+ C8H7O2- . 0.5H2O, the asymmetric unit comprises two isonipecotamide cations, two phenylacetate anions and a water molecule of solvation. The hydrogen-bonding environments for both sets of ion pairs are essentially identical with the piperidinium and amide 'ends' of each cation involved in lateral heteromolecular hydrogen-bonded cyclic N---H...O associations [graph set R2/2(11)] which incorporate a single carboxyl O-atom acceptor. These cyclic motifs enclose larger R5/5(21) cyclic systems forming sheet substructures which lie parallel to (101) and are linked across b by the single water molecule via water O---H...O(carboxyl) associations to give a two-dimensional duplex-sheet structure

4-Carbamoylpiperidinium 5-nitrosalicylate

In the structure of the title compound, C6H13N2O+ C7H4NO5-, the isonipecotamide cations and the 5-nitrosalicylate anions form hydrogen-bonded chain substructures through head-to-tail piperidinium N---H...O(carboxyl) hydrogen bonds and through centrosymmetric cyclic head-to-head amide-amide hydrogen-bonding associations [graph set R2/2(8)]. These chains are cross linked by amide N---H...O~carboxyl~ and piperidinium N-H...O(nitro) associations to give a two-dimensional sheet structure.

rac-Ammonium cis-2-carboxycyclohexane-1-carboxylate

In the structure of the title compound, cis NH4+ C8H11O4-, the carboxylic acid and carboxyl groups of the cation adopt C-C-C-O torsion angles of 174.9(2) and -145.4(2)deg. respecticely with the alicyclic ring. The ammonium H atoms of the cations give a total of five hydrogen-bonding associations with carboxyl O-atom acceptors of the anion which, together with a carboxylic acid O-H...O(carboxyl) interaction give two-dimensional sheet structures which lie in the (101) planes in the unit cell.

4-Carbamoylpiperidinium 2-carboxybenzoate-benzene-1,2-dicarboxylic acid (1/1)

In the structure of the title salt adduct, C6H13N2O+ C8H5O4- . C8H6O4, the asymmetric unit comprises one isonipecotamide cation, a hydrogen phthalate anion and a phthalic acid adduct molecule and form a two-dimensional hydrogen-bonded network through head-to-tail cation-anion-adduct molecule interactions which include a cyclic heteromolecular amide--carboxylate motif [graph set R2/2(8)], conjoint cyclic R2/2(6) and R3/3(10) piperidinium N-H...O(carboxyl) associations, as well as strong carboxylic acid O-H...O(carboxyl) hydrogen bonds.