Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose and Whey Protein Concentrate as Technological Improver in Formulation of Gluten-Free Protein Rich Bread

Wheat breads contains gluten protein that is responsible for the visco-elastic properties of dough. There has recently been an increase in the prevalence of gluten-related disorders including celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Therefore, this study has been designed for improving bread production for gluten-free bread (sorghum and potato starch) using hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and whey protein concentrate (WPC-70) as technological improver and optimizing it using response surface methodology (RSM). RSM was used to investigate the influence of predictor variables (HPMC and WPC-70) on bread quality in terms of crust and crumb texture and color, flavor, porosity and overall acceptability. The HPMC level varies from 2- 3% and WPC-70 from 12-15%. Quadratic models are developed to fit with experimental data. The predictor variables had desirable effect on all the responses. Finally, 3% HPMC and 15 % WPC-70 were chosen as optimum levels. The obtained gluten-free bread can be considered as protein rich. The optimized bread was analyzed for various parameters including protein, moisture, fat, crude fiber content, acid insoluble ash and pH. The analyzed results were reported as 10.48g, 38.73g, 8.97g, 2.8g, 0.134g, 6.1 respectively. The microbiological analysis of optimized bread was performed. The total plate count was <10, yeast & mould was <10 andcoliform count Nil. Hence, it can be stated that HPMC and WPC-70 can be efficiently used to obtain gluten-free protein rich bread.