Formulation of yeast-leavened bread with reduced salt content by using a Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product

•Reduced salt bread was obtained by adding Bio21B fermentation product to the dough.•Bio21B acted as taste enhancer in bread with salt content reduced by 50%•The addition of Bio21B allowed dough acidification enhancing proteolysis.•Total free amino acid content was higher in Bio21B-dough than in reference dough.•Only Bio21B-breads contained phenyllactic, 4-OH-phenyllactic, indole-3-lactic acids.

A Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product (Bio21B), obtained after strain growth (14 h) in a wheat flour-based medium, was applied in the bread-making process as taste enhancer, in order to obtain a yeast-leavened bread with reduced salt content (20% and 50%) with respect to a reference bread (REF) not containing the fermentation product. Sensory analysis indicated that the Bio21B bread with salt reduced by 50% had a pleasant taste similar to the salt-containing bread (REF). l-Glutamate and total free amino acid content did not differ between REF and Bio21B breads, while the acids lactic, acetic, phenyllactic, 4-OH-phenyllactic and indole-3-lactic were present only in Bio21B breads. Moreover, the presence of several umami (uridine monophosphate, inosine monophosphate, adenosine, and guanosine) and kokumi (γ-l-glutamyl-l-valine) taste-related molecules was ascertained both in REF and in Bio21B breads. Therefore, a possible role of the acidic molecules in compensating the negative perception of salt reduction can be hypothesized.