Abstract
Abstract: Staling over a 120-hr period was compared in a gluten-free rice bread, a low-protein starch bread, and two gluten-containing breads (standard wheat and added-protein wheat) using quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA), critical stress values obtained by mechanical compression testing, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The gluten-free rice bread had the highest QDA scores for both moistness and overall freshness, whereas the low-protein starch bread had the lowest scores for both attributes. Differences in critical stress values over the 120-hr period demonstrated that the gluten-free rice bread had the greatest resistance to mechanical collapse, indicating the least structural damage, whereas the low-protein starch bread had the least resistance to mechanical collapse. Both wheat breads had QDA moistness and freshness scores, and critical stress values that ranged between the gluten-free rice and low-protein starch breads. SEM showed the formulation containing rice, egg and milk proteins, xanthan gum, and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose created a bicontinuous matrix with starch fragments, similar to gluten.