Optimizing the Addition of Functional Plant Extracts and Baking Conditions To Develop Acrylamide-Free Pita Bread

ABSTRACT The effects of using freeze-dried extracts (FDEs) of spearmint (Mentha spicata), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), and turmeric (Curcuma longa) as well as adjusting the baking temperature and time on acrylamide formation in pita bread were investigated to obtain the most acceptable conditions that produced the lowest acrylamide concentrations. A Box-Behnken design was adopted for optimization of the pita bread formulations by adding FDEs (3 to 25 g/100 g of wheat flour) and adjusting the baking temperature (200 to 300°C) and baking time (3 to 11 min), and the effects of these changes on color parameters, phytochemical attributes, and acrylamide concentrations were evaluated. Increasing the concentration of FDE and decreasing the baking temperature and time considerably decreased the acrylamide concentration in bread for all experimental trials. No acrylamide was detected in pita bread formulated with 25 g of mint FDE/100 g of wheat flour and baked at 250°C for 3 min, formulated with 25 g of mint or fe...