Effect of Cassava Flour and Ginger Powder Addition on Physicochemical and Antioxidant Properties of Bread

This study explored the enhancement of antioxidant properties in bread by incorporating ginger powder while reducing wheat flour utilisation through partial replacement with cassava flour, addressing the issue that bread produced from refined wheat flour is low in antioxidants due to the removal of the aleurone layer during processing. The study investigated the effect of cassava flour and ginger powder addition on physicochemical properties (moisture content, water activity, firmness, crumb structure, density, volume, specific volume, and colour), antioxidant capacity (AC) using Ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP), and total phenolic content (TPC) (by using the Folin Ciocalteu method) of bread. Seven bread samples were produced using the Chorleywood method (220 ± 1 °C at 25 min) using cassava flour (10 and 40%) only and with the combination of ginger powder (1 and 3%). The volume, specific volume, and firmness of the bread with 10% cassava flour and ginger powder were similar to the control (100% wheat flour). Breads containing 40% cassava flour had reduced volume and specific volume and increased firmness and density. The TPC and AC increased significantly (p < 0.05) with ginger powder addition. The study showed that 10% cassava flour and 3% ginger powder could be added to bread formulations to improve their phenolic content and antioxidant capacity without significantly affecting their quality.