CBC: In search of the perfect loaf: U of M researchers hone science behind healthier bread that tastes good

As CBC reports:

The dilemma is this: salt is good for bread, from its impact on taste, to its role as a natural preservative, to the way it stops dough from getting sticky.

But too much salt is bad for humans, and Health Canada says bread products account for the majority of most Canadians’ sky-high sodium intake.

That’s the problem a team of researchers at the University of Manitoba are attempting to solve, by studying the impact of lowering salt content and searching for a way to make bread that’s good for you and tastes good, too.

“It is very challenging, because there (are) lots of players that go into that equation,” said Filiz Koksel, an assistant professor at the school’s department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences.

“Every time you change something a little, your whole formula and processing conditions might need to be fine-tuned so that you’ll be able to get that perfect loaf of bread every time, in a consistent manner.”

Koksel is part of a research team including Martin Scanlon, dean of the faculty of agricultural and food sciences, and University of Saskatchewan professor Michael Nickerson.

Read the full CBC story here.