Effect of saline organic acid solutions applied during soft wheat tempering on microbial load and flour functionality

Abstract

Background and objectives:In recent years, special concern has been raised about the safety of wheat-based products. In light of several incidents of foodborne illness associated with flour, the objectives of this study were designed to (a) evaluate the efficacy of saline organic acids solutions to reduce the natural microbiota of soft wheat grain and flour, and (b) to assess the impact of these tempering solutions on the functional properties of soft wheat flour. Findings: The microbial load of the tempered wheat was significantly reduced by all saline organic acid treatments. The combination of 5.0% lactic acid-NaCl was the most effective against aerobic mesophilic bacteria and Enterobacteriaceae, with average reductions of 3.1 ± 0.1 and 4.5 ± 0.0 log CFU/g, respectively. In addition, this tempering solution yielded flour with a significantly lower microbial load compared with the control. Tempering with saline organic acid solutions did result in minor, but significant, variations in the solvent retention capacity profile of some flours.However, the treatments did not cause significant changes in the pasting profile of flours or in the physical characteristics and texture profile of baked cookies. Conclusions: The addition of organic acids and NaCl to the tempering water improved the microbiological quality of the wheat grain and the resulting flour without compromising its functionality. Significance and novelty: This study evaluates the inclusion of antimicrobial agents in the water used to temper wheat grain prior to milling as a practical method to reduce the number of microbial contaminants in flour and flour-based foods that are at risk for consumption without cooking or any killing step. K E Y W O R D Sflour safety, microbial load reduction, organic acids, wheat safety, wheat tempering How to cite this article: Sabillón L, Stratton J, Rose D, Bianchini A. Effect of saline organic acid solutions applied during soft wheat tempering on microbial load and flour functionality.

Significance of Sodium Bisulfate (SBS) Tempering in Reducing the Escherichia coli O121 and O26 Load of Wheat and Its Effects on Wheat Flour Quality

“…Wheat flours were historically perceived as a microbiologically safe ingredient due to their low water activity (a w ) [ 3 ]. However, pathogenic microorganisms such as Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) were reported to survive under dry conditions through various mechanisms such as the accumulation of osmoprotectants and reverting to a dormant state [ 4 ].…”

“…However, these processes involve major modifications in the milling process and also present added worker safety risks due to chemical and dust explosion hazards. These factors limit the practicality and cost-effectiveness of these non-thermal methods, which limited their integration into commercial-scale wheat milling operations [ 3 ]. Thermal processing of wheat flours was also established.…”

Pathogens control on wheat and wheat flour: A review

“…On the other hand, the overall mixing tolerance, pasting profile and bread characteristics from the straight‐grade flour did not differ significantly from the control (water tempered), supporting the hypothesis that the studied tempering solutions had a minimal penetration into the grain endosperm. Sabillón et al (2019) continued the assessment of wheat decontamination with saline organic acid tempering solutions and their impact on functionality utilizing soft red winter wheat. In agreement with the previous studies, the solution of lactic acid (5.0%) and NaCl (26.6%) was the most effective one for reducing wheat microbial loads, especially against Eb (4.5 log CFU/g reduction).…”

“…Several strategies for wheat grain and flour decontamination have been studied (Table 1), including grain tempering solutions (Chen et al, 2020; Dhillon et al, 2007; Ibanoǧlu, 2001; Sabillón et al, 2017; Sabillón, Stratton, Rose, & Bianchini, 2019, 2020), nonthermal technologies like pulsed light (Aron Maftei et al, 2014; Du et al, 2020; Subedi et al, 2020) and cold plasma (Butscher et al, 2016; Kordas et al, 2015; Los, et al, 2018; Selcuk et al, 2008; Zahoranová et al., 2016), and thermal technologies such as high‐temperature steam (Chen et al, 2020; Hu et al, 2016; Snelling et al, 2020) and radio frequency heating (Jiao et al, 2015; Liu et al., 2018; Villa‐Rojas et al, 2017; Xu et al., 2018). The current review aims to describe the studied strategies up to the most recent advances to control the potential hazardous pathogens in wheat grain and wheat flour.…”

The Potential Application of Nanoparticles on Grains during Storage: Part 1 – An Overview of Inhibition against Fungi and Mycotoxin Biosynthesis

“…The combinations of propionic acid and sodium benzoate curbed the issue of corrosion, and less harmful compared to pure propionic acid [114][115][116]. Coating the bins with silver nanoparticle protective paints [117] could prevent corrosion and exert fungicidal activities. OA can increase moisture content and penetrate the endosperm, thus alter the functionality of the grains [118,119].…”