Effect of Packaging Material on Moisture Migration and Textural Attributes of Bread During Storage

Abstract

Bread as a commodity is included in the special inventory of Defence Forces, particularly as a morning or evening snack item. The present investigation pertains to the studies on the effect of various packaging materials, e.g. metalized polyester (MP-99.8 µm), low-density polyethylene with lower thickness (LDPE-1-78.33 µm), multi-layer flexible pouches (MLFP-106.2 µm), low-density polyethylene with higher thickness (LDPE-2-125.12 µm), and paper foil polyethylene (PFP-124.6 µm) on textural attributes of bread. Textural properties were significantly influenced by the change in moisture content which was clearly shifted from crumb to crust to the extent varying from -25.89% to +24.90% in LDPE-2; -29.11% to +29.77% in MP; -22.22% to +21.11%; in MLFP; -19.46% to +19.67% in PFP; -20.42% to +20.55% in LDPE-1 at the end of its expected shelf-life i.e. five days. Though overall bread moisture content was not much affected in PFP and MP, the marked difference was primarily observed in the case of bread packed in LDPE-2, LDPE-1, and MLFP. This difference may be attributed to the thickness and permeable properties of the packaging material used for the study. The hardness and resilience of samples depicted opposite trends, respectively, during their storage. The current study gives insight into physicochemical changes occurring in the bread system when  variety commonly practiced packaging materials is used and a perspective strategy for its extended life during varied field conditions.