Abstract
The inosinic acid, IMP (inosine monophosphate) and glutamic acid concentrations were measured in bread fermented with baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). In general, the inosinic acid content of bread increased>2x, after fermentation. Dough made from hard wheat flour contained considerably higher levels of inosinic and glutamic acid than dough made from medium or soft flour. Conversely, the glutamate content reduced to less than half of that found in nonfermented dough. The formation of inosinic acid in fermented bread can be explained by the high AMP deaminase activity and the low activity of 5′-nucleotidase in yeast an enzyme that hydrolyzes IMP. Our data shows that inosinic acid plays a principal role, as the taste compound in fermented bread, whilst glutamate has only minor significance.
