Solid-state fermented wheat bran with Lactobacillus plantarum LB-1 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae was used to prepare whole wheat bread. The antioxidant properties of fermented bran and the sensory quality of whole wheat bread such as color, specific volume, texture, flavor and mouthfeel were analyzed. The results showed that the contents of total free amino acids, soluble protein, soluble polyphenols and soluble arabinoxylan in wheat bran increased by 1.44, 1.82, 2.67 and 2.68 times after 36 h mixed culture fermentation, respectively. The total reducing power, 1,1-dipheny1-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radical and superoxide anion radical scavenging capacity increased by 1.88, 1.42 and 3.1 times, respectively. The L^* values of whole wheat bread crumb and crust with fermented bran decreased significantly as compared to those with unfermented bran. Moreover, addition of bran fermented for 36 h increased bran bread specific volume by 1.24 times, decreased significantly hardness, gumminess and chewiness, and cohesiveness and elasticity increased significantly, resulting in a more soft and palatable mouthfeel. In addition, solid-state fermentation of wheat bran produced 15 new volatile flavor compounds, and increased the contents of acetic acid and ethanol significantly, thus enhancing the flavor characteristics of whole wheat bread. The sensory score of whole wheat bread with bran fermented for 36 h was the highest. In conclusion, 36 h solid-state fermentation by Lactobacillus LB-1 and yeast effectively enhances the antioxidant activity in vitro of wheat bran, slows down the aging of starch in whole wheat bread and consequently improves texture properties including viscoelasticity as well as sensory attributes such as color, flavor and taste, and thus it has great application potential.

To identify the effects of fructo-oligosaccharides on retrogradation characteristics of rice starch, we determined the setback viscosity, syneresis rate, firmness, amylose leaching, and dynamic rheology of rice starch paste blended with fructo-oligosaccharides in contrast to the widely reported anti-retrogradation additive β-cyclodextrin. The retrogradation characteristics of rice starch were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, low field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy, and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The results showed that fructo-oligosaccharide treatment significantly decreased the peak viscosity, final viscosity and setback value of gelatinized rice starch paste. In addition, after short-time refrigeration, fructo-oligosaccharide-treated rice starch exhibited lower syneresis rate (21.82%), hardness (16.26%) and amylose leaching (17.25%), indicating that fructo-oligosaccharides could improve the water retention and stability of rice starch. Also, fructose-oligosaccharides decreased the storage modulus, water mobility, relative crystallinity, and ratio between transmittance at wavenumbers of 1047 and 1022 cm^-1 of rice starch paste, and made the network structure become more compact, showing better anti-retrogradation efficiency. Therefore, fructo-oligosaccharides have excellent potential in delaying the retrogradation of rice starch-based foods.

This study investigated the effects of adding ferulic acid (FA) on the structural and thermo-mechanical properties of whole wheat dough as well as the texture quality and pore distribution of steamed whole wheat bread. The weakening degree of gluten proteins, starch gelatinization properties and whole wheat doughs incorporated with different proportions (0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5%) of FA were measured using a Mixolab apparatus. The microstructure was examined through scanning electron microscope (SEM). The quality changes of steamed whole wheat bread were evaluated by analyzing its textural properties and pore distribution. The results showed that compared with the control group, the addition of FA significantly shortened dough development time and stability time (P < 0.05), which were shortened by 21.02% and 42.41% upon the addition of 0.5% FA, respectively. The addition of 0.5% FA also promoted gluten proteins to form a continuous and uniform network structure, enhanced the water-holding capacity of whole wheat dough, effectively slowed down water loss from the core of steam whole wheat bread, and increased the specific volume of steamed whole wheat bread by 20.26%, thereby markedly improving the texture quality of steamed whole wheat bread in terms of microstructure, elasticity and cohesiveness. However, higher concentrations of FA (1.0%–1.5%) could lead to rupture of the gluten network structure, which negatively affected the rheological properties and texture quality of whole wheat dough. The results of this study will provide a new solution to the key problems of traditional steamed whole wheat bread such as rough taste and hard texture and provide the theoretical basis for improving the rheological properties of whole wheat dough and the texture quality of steamed whole wheat bread.