The unequivocal economical and social values of bread as a staple food commodity lead to constant interests in optimizing its postproduction quality and extending its shelf life, which is related to the maintenance and enhancement of flavors and textural properties, and finally, to the delay of microbial spoilage. The latter has been the subject of a multitude of studies and reviews, in which the different approaches and views were discussed. However, variations in bread freshness, flavor, and textural quality are still of concerns for the bread making industry, in conjunction with the expectation from consumers for bread products with high-quality attributes and free of synthetic ingredients that satisfy their pleasure and their sustainable lifestyle. This review mainly focuses on the quality profiles of bread, including flavor, rheological, textural, and sensorial aspects; on the modalities to assess them; as well as on the conventional and emerging approaches developed so far over the past decades. The applications of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and enzymes as bioprotective technologies are examined and discussed, along with active packaging and novel processing technologies for either the maintenance or improvement of bread qualities during storage.
Keywords: active packaging; bioprotection; bread; enzymes; flavor; lactic acid bacteria; textural properties.
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