Comparative assessment of microbial, proximate and sensory quality of bread produced from all-purpose flour and a blend of locally made flour

The nutritional and sensory quality of different flour blends for baked products has been investigated. However, there is paucity of information on the quality of the conventional all-purpose flour which is expected to be chiefly of wheat origin and thus very expensive. Comparative analysis of the microbial, proximate and sensory quality of bread produced from all-purpose flour and blends of locally made flour was undertaken. Composite breads were produced from all-purpose flour (APF) 100%, wheat flour (WF) 100%, potato flour (PF) 100% and WF:PF blend (50%:50%). The microbial, proximate and sensory qualities, as well as the shelf life of the bread samples were determined. Data was analyzed using SPSS software. The bacterial and fungal counts were less than the maximum of 100 cfu/g recommended by the Standard Organization of Nigeria. The moisture and ash content of the PF bread was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the rest of the flour blends. Among the flour blends, APF recorded the lowest fiber, ash and protein content. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in the mean sensory scores of APF bread and WF:PF bread with respect to taste and overall acceptability. PF and WF:PF bread had the highest shelf life of 8 and 7 days respectively. The nutritional composition of the bread produced from 100% WF and 50%:50% WF:PF blends were higher than that produced using the conventional APF. Thus, PF could be blended with WF to improve the nutritional quality and minimize cost of bread and other baked products.