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A. C. CRADDOCK and M. B. Stone. Food Science & Human Nutrition, Colorado State University, Dept. of FSHN, Fort Collins, CO 80523

Bread products are perishable foods that undergo physical and sensorial changes during storage that result in staling or a rapid loss of freshness. Liquid and dry honey contain hygroscopic sugars, and are thought to lock in moisture in bakery goods resulting in delayed staling.

The objectives were to: a) evaluate the strength of doughs for bagels prepared with varying honey types and percentages, b) evaluate the textural characteristics of fresh baked bagels and ethnic flat breads, and c) study the storage effects of varying honey types and percentages in bagels and ethnic flat breads exposed to an open-air environment for up to 8 hours.

Instrumental testing, performed with the TA.XT2 Texture Analyzer, included extensibility to measure dough strength, puncture to compare external crust and crumb, and texture profile analysis to measure various parameters of a food compressed uniaxially. Analysis of variance was determined for treatment effects, and correlation coefficients were calculated for selected instrumental and sensory measurements.

Type and amount of liquid honey had no effect on bagel dough extensibility or crust characteristics of baked bagels (p < 0.05) at levels used in this study. Liquid or dry honey had no effect on the crust and crumb of most fresh ethnic flat breads (p < 0.05). However, honey influenced textural characteristics of ethnic flat breads during open-air storage. Dry honey produced lower force and hardness values for crust and crumb firmness in most ethnic flat breads than liquid honey or control breads containing sucrose.

Doughs with high resistance to extension and low extensibility are preferable for bagels. Honey in liquid form could be substituted for sucrose without weakening the dough in bagels for commercial production. Dry honey was found to be more effective than sucrose or liquid honey in prolonging staling effects of ethnic flat breads.