Study summary · research use only
Effect of Glutathione on the Taste and Texture of Type I Sourdough Bread
Plain-language summary
Paraphrased from the published abstract below — not a verdict on whether anything works.
This study examined type I sourdough fermentation using Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis (not an animal or human study), measuring accumulation of reduced glutathione in sourdough, bread dough, and bread, and comparing bread made with wild-type L. sanfranciscensis to an isogenic strain lacking glutathione reductase (GshR) activity. L. sanfranciscensis sourdough accumulated the highest amount of reduced glutathione during proofing. Bread made with the wild-type strain had lower volume compared with bread from the GshR-deficient mutant strain. Accumulation of gamma-glutamyl-cysteine was higher in L. sanfranciscensis sourdoughs than in doughs fermented with the gshR mutant strain. The abstract reports that accumulation of reduced glutathione in L. sanfranciscensis bread did not enhance the bread's saltiness.
Abstract
Type I sourdough fermentations with Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis as predominant organism accumulate reduced glutathione through glutathione reductase (GshR) activity of L. sanfranciscensis. Reduced glutathione acts as chain terminator for gluten polymerization but is also kokumi-active and may thus enhance bread taste. This study implemented a type I model sourdough fermentations to quantitate glutathione accumulation sourdough, bread dough, and bread and to assess the effect of L. sanfranciscensis GshR on bread volume by comparison of L. sanfranciscensis and an isogenic strain devoid of GshR. L. sanfranciscensis sourdough accumulated the highest amount of reduced glutathione during proofing. Bread produced with the wild type strain had a lower volume when compared to the gshR deficient mutant. The accumulation of γ-glutamyl-cysteine was also higher in L. sanfranciscensis sourdoughs when compared to doughs fermented with the gshR mutant strain. The accumulation of reduced glutathione in L. sanfranciscensis bread did not enhance the saltiness of bread.
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