Furosine is a useful indicator in pre-baked breads

There is increasing demand for pre-baked bread. Bakers can meet consumer requirements for breads of specific flavour and colour by pre-baking an amount of bread in the morning and completing the baking process in the afternoon. This type of product is of special interest to sandwich bars, restaurants and large communities. In order to obtain an indicator of utility to monitor the processing of pre-baked bread, the browning indicators furosine, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and glucosylisomaltol were analysed in two independent assays of bread pre-baked at 175 degreesC for between 5 and 30 min. No furosine was detected in raw or fermented dough. In the pre-baking stage, furosine increased from 1.5- to 5-fold between 5 and 30 min. The furosine values obtained in the two independent experiments were similar. HMF and glucosylisomaltol were only detected after 15 min, which is the time period commonly used for processing by the industry. Thus, among these indicators, furosine is the only one with utility for monitoring the pre-baking process. On the other hand, a study of the baking of pre-baked bread at 220 degreesC showed that HMF and glucosylisomaltol can be used to monitor the latter process. (C) 2004 Society of Chemical Industry.