Shelf life assessment of industrial durum wheat bread as a function of packaging system

•Durum wheat bread quality was monitored for 90 days with different packaging.•Furans decreased during storage, whereas hexanal increased.•Texture, aw and bread moisture varied according to a first-order kinetic model.•Reducing thickness of thermoformed system did not compromise standard shelf life.•Flow-pack system had a lower performance in retaining bread quality during storage.

This study compared the effect of different packaging systems on industrial durum wheat bread shelf-life, with regard to thermoformed packaging (TF) and flow-packaging (FP). Two TFs having different thickness and one FP were compared by assessing physico-chemical and sensorial properties and volatile compounds of sliced bread during 90 days of storage. Texture, aw and bread moisture varied according to a first-order kinetic model, with FP samples ageing faster than TFs. Sensorial features such as consistency, stale odor, and sour odor, increased their intensity during storage. Furans decreased, whereas hexanal increased. The Principal Component Analysis of the whole dataset pointed out that the TF system at reduced thickness could be adopted up to 60 days, without compromising the standard commercial life of industrial bread and allowing to save packaging material. The FP system would allow further saving, but it should be preferred when the expected product turnover is within 30 days.