Green lentil fortification of wheat bread: a strategy for quality improvement and acrylamide reduction

This study aimed to assess how non-treated (N), milled (M), and with <i>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</i> fermented (F) green lentils affect the quality and safety parameters, including volatile compound (VC) profile and acrylamide (AA) concentration, of wheat bread (WB). The overall acceptability (OA) of WB with 5, 10, 15, and 20% lentils, as well as with 25% the non-M F and N non-F lentils was similar to that of the control. The addition of M lentils resulted in a higher increase in AA concentration in WB, compared to those prepared with non-M lentils. Lentil quantity and type added significantly influenced most of the VC formation in bread. Correlations between AA content in WB and separate VC were found. Finally, it can be suggested to supplement the bread with 5, 10, or 15% fermented non-milled green lentils to provide the safest variant with a low AA level as well as favorable OA.