Effect of Camel Milk on the Physicochemical, Rheological, and Sensory Qualities of Bread

Abstract

An increase in bread production has been achieved to meet the increasing demand of the growing population. During the manufacturing process, refined wheat flour, the main ingredient for bread making, loses its nutritional qualities. Hence, it is necessary to use additional nutritional sources to maintain nutritional value. In this study, the rheological, physicochemical, and sensory qualities of bread, prepared using camel milk and water, were evaluated. The increase in the camel milk content resulted in the significant increase in the protein, oil, and ash contents of bread and a decrease in the carbohydrate content. The protein content was increased from 11.95% (100% water) to 14.01% (100% camel milk). The use of camel milk resulted in the progressive increase in the content of two essential fatty acids, α-linolenic acid and linoleic acid (P<0.05; maximum increase: 1.65% and 20.9%, resp.). The rheological properties of bread (peak viscosity, gelatinisation temperature, and water absorption capacity) could be improved using camel milk. However, reduced dough stability and peak viscosity–temperature were also observed. The increase in the water absorption capacity from 61% to 67% indicated that the supplemented dough was more suitable than the original dough for preparing bread. The physical properties of bread prepared using camel milk (30%) and water (70%) were better than the properties of the control bread sample. Improved sensory attributes were observed under these formulation conditions. Bread containing ≥70% camel milk received lower sensory scores. The results indicated that the use of the formulation consisting of camel milk (30%) and water (70%) could enhance the nutritional value of bread without significantly affecting the acceptability. The results can provide a platform for extending the application of camel milk, primarily used to produce fermented milk, in the food industry. It could be potentially used to address the global problem of acute malnutrition.