Acceptability of bread made with hemp (Cannabis sativa subsp. sativa) flour evaluated fresh and following a partial bake method

Abstract

With an increasing demand for gluten‐free foods, there has been an interest in the utilization of nonconventional ingredients to improve the nutritional quality, sensory attributes, and functionality of gluten‐free products. Hemp (Cannabis sativa subsp. Sativa) is one of these ingredients that have yet to be thoroughly evaluated. The primary objective of this study was to determine the acceptability and consumers’ sensory perceptions of gluten‐free bread (GFB) made with hemp flour. The secondary objective was to assess if the acceptability of the bread changes after 45 days of frozen storage following a partial bake method. The first trial (n = 89) instructed participants to assess six fresh bread samples of varying hemp percentages (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25%), using check‐all‐that‐apply questionnaire and a 9‐point hedonic scale. This procedure was repeated for the second trial (n = 81), which used partially baked bread samples of the same composition. Overall, as the percentage of hemp flour increased, the overall liking of the GFB decreased. The 5% hemp incorporation in the fresh bread and the 15% hemp incorporation or less in the partially baked bread did not significantly differ from the control bread (fresh and partially baked, respectively). Attributes found to drive the liking of bread were smooth (only for the frozen bread), porous, moist, and soft, whereas the attributes that led to disliking were yeasty and dense. In future research, partial baking methods should be varied to assess the optimal freezing and baking ratio that are specific for hemp‐based breads. Practical Application The gluten‐free bread (GFB) made with 5% hemp incorporation was not significantly different from the control and was acceptable to consumers. The partially baking method is a suitable method to be used with GFBs incorporated with hemp as it did not affect the consumer acceptability. Additionally, hemp flour incorporation in partially baked GFB was acceptable up to 15%. Consumers prefer GFB with hemp that possesses smooth, porous, moist, and soft attributes.

Effect of quinoa, chia and millet addition on consumer acceptability of gluten‐free bread

“…2a), indicate that the GFBs made with lower amounts of millet and quinoa are acceptable to the participants, and the attributes smooth and soft drove the participants' liking. In agreement with this study, a past study on GFBs found that softness and smoothness are related to consumers’ liking of GFBs (Hayward & McSweeney, 2020). The formulations made with chia (Chia25 and Chia50), as well as the formulations including a higher amount of millet and quinoa (Millet50 and Quinoa50), were on the positive side of the first dimension.…”

“…In addition to these attributes, white was found to improve the participants' liking of the GFBs whilst dense detracted from participants' liking. In a previous study investigating par‐baked GFBs with hemp, the researchers found that colour and texture were most affected by the frozen storage (Hayward & McSweeney, 2020), which agrees with this study. Furthermore, the partial baking method leads to an interruption of the baking process and can lead to less colour development and a denser bread (Vulicevic et al ., 2004; Sciarini et al ., 2012).…”

“…They identified that alternative grains make products dense, hard and crumbly and change the product's appearance. This result is consistent with past studies looking at the sensory properties of products made with alternative grains (Aguilar et al ., 2015; Ramos Diaz et al ., 2015; Gostin, 2019; Hayward & McSweeney, 2020).…”

“…Multiple studies have assessed the effectiveness of evaluating products using this methodology and the relative ease of use (Ares et al ., 2010; Jaeger et al ., 2013). Past studies have successfully used CATA to evaluate other gluten‐free foods, including breads (Ares et al ., 2014; Giménez et al ., 2015; Hayward & McSweeney, 2020; Piga et al ., 2021; Santos et al ., 2021).…”

Technological Changes in Wheat-Based Breads Enriched with Hemp Seed Press Cakes and Hemp Seed Grit

“…A drawback of hemp, however, is that the lack of gluten greatly impacts the texture and baking properties of bread. Studies have shown that consumer acceptance of bread greatly depends on textural properties and that as little as 5% hemp flour alters the texture profile of breads [ 10 , 11 ].…”