Functional bread supplemented with Pleurotus eryngii powder: A potential new food for human health

The purpose of this study was to develop functional breads with powdered Pleurotus eryngii. The breads were produced applying the traditional Italian style sourdough technology. P. eryngii powder was added to flour of tender wheat varieties (Grano Dei Miracoli, Inalettabile, Mentana, Gentilrosso, Ardito and a mix of Rieti, Verna, and Mentana) or semolina of durum wheat landrace (Saragolla) and subjected to sourdough fermentation. Sourdough inoculum was produced with selected strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) belonging to the species Levilactobacillus brevis, Weissella cibaria and Leuconostoc citreum. The addition of Pleurotus powdered (PP) (10% w/w) did not influence the fermentation process, since LAB developed until 109 CFU/g after 8 h of leavening. The values of pH, TTA and organic acids of doughs prepared with PP were higher than those of control fermentation. All breads differed for height, weight loss, firmness, color and void fraction. Sensory evaluation indicated that the bread produced with Mentana flour added with PP was mostly appreciated by the judges. Hence, only the bread processed from this wheat variety was investigated for vitamins and microelements showing an increase in B1, B2, B3, and D vitamins, total polyphenols, and beta-glucans. This work provided evidences to perform PP supplementation to increase the functional aspects of bread.