Valorization of Wheat Milling Co-Products in Carasau Bread: Effects of Their Addition as Powders or After Fermentation on Physicochemical Properties, Volatile Profile and Sensory Characteristics

This study evaluated the use of four wheat milling co-products, i.e., whole wheat germ (WWG), defatted wheat germ (DWG), defatted wheat bran (DWB), and wheat middlings (WM), as ingredients in carasau bread, incorporated as powders in baker’s yeast breads (P-series) or after fermentation in sourdough breads (F-series). Therefore, eight formulations were characterized for physicochemical properties and volatile compounds by HS-SPME-GC-MS, while consumer perception was assessed through overall liking, Check-All-That-Apply (CATA), and Just-About-Right (JAR) evaluation. Sourdough-fermented breads showed higher acidity and lower yellowness than baker’s yeast breads formulated with powdered co-products, whereas instrumental texture differed among formulations. Volatile profiles were primarily influenced by co-product type, with sourdough DWG bread showing the greatest modulation of aroma composition. Sensory characterization revealed formulation-specific profiles, showing that comparable levels of overall liking could be associated with different sensory configurations. The most evident differences in overall liking were observed for WWG and WM breads, whereas sourdough DWG and DWB breads showed overall liking distributions comparable with those of the baker’s yeast counterparts. Perceived attribute adequacy also varied among formulations, with baker’s yeast breads generally showing responses closer to the consumer-defined ideal than their sourdough counterparts, although this pattern was not uniform across co-products. Overall, the findings highlight the potential of wheat milling co-products for carasau bread production. However, the heterogeneity of consumer responses suggests the need for future studies with larger consumer samples to better define preference patterns and market potential.