Abstract
Lemon flavonoid prepared from lemon peel contains 30% of eriocitrin, a potent antioxidant and a functional food material. Tests were made to determine its influence on stability, taste, and physical properties during the breadmaking process. Sixty-five percent of eriocitrin was retained in the bread, and 78% of the antioxidative activity remained after baking bread with added lemon flavonoid. Bread with 0.50% added lemon flavonoid had a significantly higher specific volume than the control bread (p<0.05). We consider that this improvement was the direct result of adding lemon flavonoid which lowered the pH value and increased the resistance of the bread dough in extensograph measurements. Sensory tests showed that a desirable taste could be retained with the addition of up to 0.50% lemon flavonoid, but larger amounts gave the bread a bitter taste. Lemon flavonoid thus seems to be a useful food material for enhancing the functions of bread.
