The role of red pepper on the colour and bioactive properties, polyphenols, minerals and sensory evaluation of the wheat breads enriched with red pepper powder at different concentrations

Abstract In current investigation, the effect of the breads enriched with red pepper powder at different concentrations (0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5% and 2.0%) on colour parameters, antioxidant activity, total phenolics, flavonoids, phenolic components, minerals and sensory properties was revealed. While the brightness results of the breads L* decreased, there was a significant increase in the a* and b* values. As the concentration of the pepper powder added to bread dough increased, a significant increase was observed in bioactive compounds such as total phenol, antioxidant activity and flavonoids in the bread. It was determined that bread enriched with 1% red pepper powder received the highest sensory scores compared to other breads. The phenolic compound amounts of the breads showed some changes based on the pepper concentrations. Protein amounts of the wheat bread fortified with red pepper powder were specified to be between 9.32 (0.5%) and 9.79% (control). Phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) quantities of the breads were assessed to be between 745.27 mg kg−1 (0.5%) and 846.69 mg kg−1 (2.0%) to 2266.63 mg kg−1 (control) and 2907.38 mg kg−1 (2.0%), respectively. The flavour, smell, colour and texture values of the pepper bread samples varied depending on the added pepper concentration. As a result, the most liked formulation by the consumers was the pepper bread with 1.0% added, followed by 1.5%, 2.0%, 0.5% in decreasing order.