Synergism between lipoxygenase‐active soybean flour and ascorbic acid on rheological and sensory properties of wheat bread

BACKGROUND: The interaction between lipoxygenase‐active soybean flour (LOX) and ascorbic acid (AA), on colour, rheological and sensory properties of wheat bread was studied with the aim of reducing the applied quantity of additives in bread formulations. RESULTS: The ascorbic acid (0–500 ppm) and active soybean flour (0–1%) mixture improved bread‐crumb colour by lowering the yellow hue in a higher proportion than those expressed by the components alone, characterising a synergistic mechanism (?_b = 15.1? (1.7 × LOX) ? (0.5 × AA) ? (5.8 × LOX × AA), where ?_b represent the estimated value for the yellow hue parameter). No differences in flavour and porosity were seen between the samples. As supported by the instrumental methods, breads made with active soybean flour and ascorbic acid (LOX + AA) had whiter crumbs and were softer and springier than controls as assessed by a trained sensory panel. In summary, the combination of both active soybean flour and ascorbic acid showed synergism, promoting a greater bleaching effect than when used alone. CONCLUSION: These results suggest the potential use of active soybean flour as a synergistic ingredient in the substitution of artificial additives in bread making. Since the interaction on the bleaching response was not linear and active soybean flour showed a higher iron concentration (66.40 ± 4.23 µg g^?1) than non‐active soybean flour (52.30 ± 0.40 µg g^?1), more studies are warranted to establish the biochemical mechanisms involved in this interaction. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry