Impact of liquid whey and barley flour fortification on the physicochemical, microbial, and sensory characteristics of buns stored in different packaging materials

Buns are soft-puffed bakery snacks that are popular around the world, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Buns are often made from refined wheat flour, which lacks fibre and other nutritional components. In an attempt to nutritionally fortify this bakery product, refined wheat flour buns (RW_B) and liquid whey wheat barley buns (LWWB_B) were prepared in the current investigation using barley flour, liquid whey, and wheat flour. In RW_B, wheat flour was at 100 % level and water was used for the dough preparation; in LWWB_B, barley flour (46.60 %) and wheat flour (53.40 %) were incorporated, and liquid whey with 91.70 % water was used for the dough preparation. The RW_B and LWWB_B were stored in high-density polyethylene (HDPE) bags and aluminium laminate pouches (ALP). During the storage period, comparative analyses of moisture content (MC), water loss (%), free fatty acids ((FFA) oleic acid equivalent), peroxide value ((PV) meq peroxide/kg), total plate count (TPC), yeast and mould count, and sensory characteristics for RW_B and LWWB_B packed in HDPE bags and ALP were performed periodically on the 0th, 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th days. Results revealed that buns stored in ALP had a better shelf life as compared to HDPE. The overall acceptability of RW_B packed in HDPE bags and ALP decreased by 18 % and 16 %, respectively, at the 7th day of the storage period, while for LWWB_B packed in HDPE bags and ALP, the overall acceptability decreased by 11 % and 9 %, respectively, at the 5th day of the storage period. LWWB_B had a lower shelf life (5 days) as compared to RW_B (7 days), but since it is nutritionally superior, antimicrobials or antioxidants could be used to increase its shelf life.