Quality and microbial stability of partially baked bread during refrigerated storage

Partially baked bread was prepared and stored at 1 °C or 7 °C for 28 days. Periodically, this product was subjected to moisture, hardness, and microbiological analyses. After storage, the baking process of part-baked bread was completed and product evaluated according to microbiological, physical, and sensorial tests, as well as hardness analysis. Part-baked breads stored at 7 °C showed mold growth at day ninth, while the product stored at 1 °C did not show mold growth through 28 days. The full-baked bread obtained from part-baked samples stored at 1 °C showed higher values of hardness and change in crumb hardness, and lower sensorial quality than bread from part-baked samples stored at 7 °C. Moisture content, specific volume, and width/height ratio in the full-baked bread were not affected by storage time and temperature.