Improving the aroma of gluten-free bread

Gluten-free bread (GF) is different from wheat (W) or wheat-rye bread (WR) in terms of its sensory qualities, possessing not only a barely acceptable texture but also a weak aroma. A total of 77 volatile compounds, including alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, pyrazines, furans, pyrroles, and others, were detected bin the crust and crumb of the analyzed samples using GC/MS. A total of 41 volatile compounds were identified in the W bread, 54 in the WR bread, and 33 in the GF bread. It was found that the most important feature of gluten-free bread flavor is its lack of key bread compounds, specifically pyrazines and 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline. The addition of different amino acid and sugar pairs to the dough prior to baking made these deficiencies lower and, in the case of the proline and glucose pair, this was achieved to a sufficient degree. Multivariate analysis of data from chromatograph ratings of volatile compounds showed the similarity of samples with the addition of this pair of precursors (proline and glucose) to wheat bread, just like PCA in sensory profiling. For the consumer group consisting of patients with celiac disease the aroma of such gluten-free bread was more desirable than control one.