Total Phenols, Antioxidant Activity and Sensory Evaluation of Bread Fortified with Spearmint

This study focused on the functional properties of bread incorporated with spearmint (S) aqueous extract (S1 = 0% (control),S2 = 2.5%,S3 = 5.0% andS4 = 7.5%) by measuring total phenolic content (TPC), DPPH radical scavenging activity, and ferrous-ion chelating (FIC) ability. Additionally, spearmint bread samples were compared with commercially available bread, including Roti Canai, White Bread (WB), Wheat germ bread (WG), Wholemeal bread (WM). Sensory evaluation was also investigated for spearmint bread samples. The presence of different concentrations of spearmint aqueous extract increased (p < 0.05) TPC, DPPH radical scavenging activity, and FIC ability of bread compared toS1 and all spearmint bread samples presented concentration-dependent. The addition of spearmint aqueous extract (5.0% and 7.5%) showed an almost twofold increase in DPPH radical scavenging activity compared toS1 (55 +/- 0.3%). DPPH radical scavenging activity ofS3 andS4 bread was higher (p < 0.05) than commercially available bread (WM and WG) whereasS2 bread had significantly higher DPPH inhibition activity than WB. However, both TPC and FIC ability of spearmint-containing bread samples were lower (p < 0.05) with that of commercially available bread. The spearmint bread (S2) showed the highest organoleptic properties among spearmint bread. In conclusion, spearmint is a promising food additive to increase antioxidant content in bread.

Automated summary

This study revealed that adding spearmint aqueous extract to bread can increase the total phenolic content, DPPH radical scavenging activity, and FIC ability. Spearmint bread showed higher antioxidant capacity compared to commercially available bread, especially in terms of DPPH radical scavenging activity. However, the TPC and FIC ability of spearmint bread were lower than those of commercial products.