Effects of the coculture of Pediococcus pentosaceus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae with different leavening ability on the quality and volatile organic compounds of Chinese steamed bread

Pediococcus pentosaceus has a promising potential to improve the quality and flavor of Chinese steamed bread (CSB), but its synergistic effect with Saccharomyces cerevisiae is still unclear. In this study, P. pentosaceus was cocultured with three S. cerevisiae isolates separately, which had different leavening ability. The times required for the fermentation of dough by 2 times the volume of S. cerevisiae isolates ACX 0089, ACX 0490 and ACX 0078 were 46, 88 and 120 min, respectively. The results showed that the leavening ability of S. cerevisiae had a significant impact on the quality of CSBs. Compared other S. cerevisiae isolates, the ACX 0490 cocultured with P. pentosaceus increased the contents of bound water and free water in CSB, decreased the content of semibound water, and produced larger and regular porosity, thus endowed a greater specific volume and softer texture. A total of 36 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were found in CSBs, with alcohols accounting for the main component. The coculture of P. pentosaceus with the intermediate leavening ability of S. cerevisiae ACX 0490 produced the highest proportion of esters among all CSBs. Moreover, S. cerevisiae ACX 0490 endowed the CSB unique VOCs, including cyclodecanol, ethylacetate, and 3,5-dimethylbenzaldehyde. The results of sensory evaluation also showed that S. cerevisiae ACX0490 cocultured CSB obtained the highest scores among all the test samples. The results provided a reference for selecting S. cerevisiae isolates with different leavening ability and the combination of P. pentosaceus to achieve the best quality and flavor of CSB.