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This study examines how ozonation affects the microbial status and quality of bakery products made from wheat flour.

May 22, 2026Open Access

Influence of the Wheat Flour Ozonation Process on Its Microbial Status and the Sensory and Mechanical Properties of Bakery Products

MBMaciej BalawejderRzeszów University PAPiotr AntosRzeszów University of Technology GKGabriela KołczRzeszów University

Key Points

This study examines how ozonation affects the microbial status and quality of bakery products made from wheat flour.
Wheat flour ozonated at 30 ppm for 30 min.
Microbial load measured before and after treatment.
Texture and sensory properties assessed in baked products.
Aerobic bacteria reduced from 1.4 × 105 to 1.7 × 104 CFU·g−1 and yeasts and moulds from 2.8 × 103 to 1.3 × 102 CFU·g−1.
Baked products from ozonated flour were harder (Cycle 1: 68.06 N vs. 53.42 N) and less acceptable in sensory tests (3.04 vs. 3.74).
Presence of six volatile compounds in ozonated flour compared to three in the control.

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of ozonation of wheat flour (30 ppm O3 for 30 min) on the microbiological status of flour, as well as the profile of volatile compounds, the mechanical properties, and the sensory characteristics of the resulting bakery products. Ozonation significantly reduced the microbial load of the flour, decreasing aerobic bacteria from 1.4 × 105 to 1.7 × 104 CFU·g−1 and yeasts and moulds from 2.8 × 103 to 1.3 × 102 CFU·g−1, while lactic acid bacteria populations remained unchanged. HS-SPME-GC-MS analysis revealed that the ozonated flour contained six volatile compounds (compared to three in the control), predominantly nonanal (80.62%), an aldehyde formed via the ozonolysis of unsaturated fatty acids. Although these ozone-induced aldehydes were also detected in the final bakery products, their peak areas decreased substantially (to ≤3.3% of the flour values), suggesting thermal desorption during baking. Texture profile analysis demonstrated that products baked from ozonated flour exhibited increased hardness (Cycle 1: 68.06 N vs. 53.42 N; Cycle 2: 59.41 N vs. 47.52 N) and chewiness (427.95 mJ vs. 404.70 mJ) compared to controls. This textural degradation is likely due to ozone-induced modifications in enzyme activity (proteolytic, amylolytic, and lipolytic) and gluten protein cross-linking via disulphide bond formation. Furthermore, sensory evaluation using a five-point scale showed lower acceptability for the ozonated products (3.04 vs. 3.74), with panellists noting inferior taste, aroma, crumb colour, and flexibility. In conclusion, while ozonation effectively reduces the microbiological load of wheat flour, the applied high-dose treatment (30 ppm, 30 min) negatively impacts the sensory and textural quality of the bakery products, indicating that milder processing parameters are necessary to balance safety and quality.

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