High Sugar\nContent and Sweetness in Bread with First\nFermentation at −1 °C without Ice Crystal Formation

We hypothesized that the first fermentation\nof bread\ndough at −1\n°C, a temperature within the superchilling zone but that does\nnot produce ice crystals, would alter metabolite composition compared\nto conventional methods, thereby improving palatability. This study\ninvestigated the impact of −1 °C first fermentation (−1\n°C_FF) on the metabolite profiles and palatability in bread production.\nBread subjected to −1 °C_FF for 72 h exhibited significantly\nhigher glucose and fructose contents compared to bread produced using\na normal first fermentation (NFF, 28 °C for 1 h) or a 4 °C\nfirst fermentation (4 °C_FF) for 72 h. This increase in sugar\ncontent may be attributed to the inhibition of yeast sugar uptake\nor alcoholic fermentation at −1 °C. Sensory analysis revealed\nthat the −1 °C_FF bread was perceived as sweeter than\nthe NFF and 4 °C_FF breads. These results suggest that −1\n°C_FF represents a novel fermentation method capable of enhancing\nthe sweetness of bread.