Relationships between sensory flavor evaluation and volatile and nonvolatile compounds in commercial wheat bread type baguette

A sensorial evaluation was carried out on the flavor of wheat bread using a test of consumer acceptance for this type of product. The 5 samples evaluated corresponded to prebaked baguettes from the main brands marketed in Spain. At the same time, headspace analysis using a solid-phase microextraction (SPME) method was used to assess the volatile components of the bread crumb as well as other components, such as salt, lactic acid, and total titratable acidity (TTA), which could affect the flavor. The results of the sensorial analysis indicate that there are no significant differences between the samples. Nevertheless, the content of volatile and nonvolatile compounds shows certain variations that correlate with the flavor scores. In general, the alcohol, ketone, and salt contents are considered positive, whereas the aldehyde and acid contents, including lactic acid, are considered negative. The main conclusions obtained were that for this type of bread, consumers tend to prefer products with a greater degree of fermentation by yeasts, without secondary fermentation by lactic acid bacteria. However, considering the geographic differences regarding these preferences, it will be necessary to perform further tests to establish the acceptance of different types of bread.