Intro
When people say “bread,” they tend to think simply of bread. But try going into a bakery, from northern to southern Italy, and you will discover that there really is a myriad of different types of shapes and doughs. Filone, filoncino, mantovana, rosetta-the names abound and each region has its own traditions. Not to mention special doughs, such as whole wheat, grain dough, and so on.
And what about Puglia? The same goes for Apulian bread. But, why is it unique? Spoiler: it depends on its territory.
Bread
Bread is one of the most popular traditional foods in the world and affected by constant and increasing innovation. Its history appears closely related to the development of modern civilizations. Bread in its simplest form is produced with the use of flour, water, salt and yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae or sourdough) through a process that includes three stages: kneading, rising and baking. During the first stage the ingredients are mixed until a well-structured, elastic dough is obtained in which the water hydrates the starch granules and activates enzyme functions. During rising, the volume of the dough increases due to the production of carbon dioxide by yeasts that degrade carbohydrates. The baking stage takes place at temperatures between 180 and 220°C for a variable time depending on the size of the bread. During the cooling and packaging stages, the most important aspect concerns the maintenance of high hygiene standards, as inadequate humidity and temperature conditions favor the development of mold and spoilage bacteria that can irreparably compromise production. Bread is generally produced using soft wheat flour, and based on the type of flour used, the following types of bread are identified: type 00 bread, type 0 bread, type 1 bread, type 2 bread, and whole wheat bread. In most cases, bread making is carried out at the artisan level; however, in recent years, the share of industrial bread making has increased, partly as a result 10 of the expansion of markets and export of typical products, making it necessary to obtain a product with prolonged microbiological shelf life.
Typical breads
Over the years, in parallel with the improvement of milling systems and genetic selection of wheat varieties, different types of breadmaking have developed in different geographical areas, resulting in the current variability of types and shapes.
In Italy, a census conducted by the National Institute of Rural Sociology (Picchi, 2000) showed the production of about 200 types of bread. Breads with typical character cover only part of the annual turnover (amounting to approx. 5 billion euros) and are mainly produced in southern regions; for example, in Apulia and Campania alone, about 30 types of typical breads are produced. In northern Italian regions, bread is mainly produced with soft wheat flour, while in some regions of central and especially southern Italy, remilled durum wheat semolina is used. Recent years have seen the valorization, recovery and in some cases certification of typical breads. One example is the “bread of Altamura,” which recently obtained the PDO mark. Altamura bread is a traditional bread, closely linked to the production area, which is produced according to a precise protocol and has two strongly typical elements: the use of remilled durum wheat semolina and natural yeast.
Remilled durum wheat semolina: microbiological aspects
In the national and regional production context, varieties of durum wheat are marketed for bread making (e.g., Appulo, Arcangelo, Duilio, Simeto) that cannot be used indifferently for the production of typical breads and that in any case pose, in relation to other Italian and foreign wheat, specific problems both in relation to their possible degree of biological contamination and in relation to their possible use in a mixture with non-domestic semolina. The typicality and added value of bread also comes from the raw material. The processing of durum wheat (Triticum durum) into remilled semolina involves three main stages: the cleaning of the wheat, the conditioning and the actual milling. The purpose of cleaning is to remove foreign material of a vegetable or mineral nature. In the conditioning stage, the grain is soaked with a sufficient amount of water to facilitate the detachment of the outermost parts from the 11 floury kernel and to facilitate its breaking. The purpose of this stage is to soften the casing to prevent fragmentation and facilitate its detachment, and to reduce the hardness of the albumen to facilitate its processing into flours. Conditioning is influenced by the amount of water added, the temperature of the treatment, and the length of time the grain rests. In the next stage of milling, there is fragmentation of the caryopses and separation of the constituents. The first operation, called breaking, allows dissociation of the central kernel and outer coatings, fractionation of the dressed kernels, and reduction of the kernel into flour; the second ensures separation of the bran and coatings on the basis of grain size and their physical properties. The cultivation of durum wheat represents a sector of great importance for agriculture in the Mediterranean area, particularly for the southern regions of Italy. Although the main form of utilization of durum wheat is still in pasta making, an increasing share is being used for the production of a wide range of baked goods. Bread-making with durum wheat, which began as a home operation, has been transformed into artisanal production, acquiring a connotation of typicality and genuineness that has found great favor with consumers even from areas far from production.
Bread , Love and Apulia
The high protein and antioxidant content give durum wheat regrind semolina distinctive technological and nutritional characteristics compared with flour obtainable from other cereals (Miller et al., 2000). In particular, the quality and quantity of protein present in the regrind allow for a greater absorption of water and a slower release of water from the finished product, resulting in a higher production yield and a prolonged shelf life referring to the cooling process. In general, wheat flours contain a heterogeneous microflora composed of a variety of microorganisms that include altering agents (molds, yeasts and sporigenic bacteria) and non-altering agents (lactic acid bacteria). Most microorganisms accumulate on the surface of the grain, and therefore whole grain flours generally have a higher microbial load.
In particular, raw materials may contain fungal and/or bacterial spores at the time of their use and cause contamination of finished products. In fact, although bread and leavened bakery products are not classified as high health risk foods, they can be contaminated with more than 40 fungal species and heat-resistant spores of Bacillus genus bacteria. The latter are responsible for 12 an alteration in bread referred to as “stringy bread” that is widespread although underestimated from an economic point of view. The species generally associated with this type of alteration are B. subtilis and B. licheniformis, which originate from the soil and contaminate wheat even before harvest .In addition to causing “stringy bread” or “bread stringing,” B. subtilis when ingested at high concentrations (e.g., 108 cfu/g of food) can cause food poisoning whose symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea and migraine. Among Bacillus species, B. cereus has also been reported to be present in raw materials (flour, yeast, etc.), a highly toxigenic species . Flours can also be contaminated with molds: generally these microorganisms are present with an average value of approx. 103 cfu/g.
Molds can originate from wheat before harvest or during its storage, from the machinery used for milling, and/or from the processing environments of baked goods. Within the bacterial microflora found in wheat flours are also some species belonging to the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) group. Among them, species of homo-fermenting bacillary form – Lactobacillus casei, L. coryniformis, L. curvatus, L. plantarum and L. salivarius – hetero-fermenting bacillary form – L. brevis and L. fermentum – homo-fermentants of coccal form – Enetrococcus faecalis, Lactococcus lactis, Pediococcus acidilactici, P. parvulus, and P. pentosaceus – and hetero-fermentants of coccal form – Leuconostoc and Weissella .
Moisture in flour is a parameter that significantly influences the development of contaminating microorganisms and consequently the shelf life of the foodstuff (ICMSF 1998). In fact, Aydin et al. (2009) observed that samples with average moisture values of 14 percent showed a higher fungal load. The Codex Alimentarius Standard (1995) indicates a maximum allowable moisture level for flours of 15.5 percent. Although this moisture value is considered too low to support microbial development and/or toxin production by fungal contaminants (e.g., the growth of mycotoxigenic species of Penicillium spp. and Aspergillus spp. requires a minimum moisture content in the substrate of 13 16.5 percent), it has been seen that increases of 1 to 2 percent in moisture are sufficient to support the development of such microorganisms .
The vision of A.I.LOVETOURISM
Why did I decide to do a technical discussion of how Apulian bread is produced in the entire supply chain?
If need be, once again, we have shown that the land and types of wheat grown in Apulia have a unique mix of yeasts; fungal communities and micro-organisms. This guarantees a uniqueness that can be a commercial lever in the sale of tourist packages. By presenting this technical part in a more dynamic and novel way, different tour packages could be created.
Our packages have already included a product in which we will discuss precisely the reasons and human events connected with this unique bread production in the World . STAY TUNED
All Saints plus One
One of our Apulia travel packages to discover how the Deities of the 1300s are our recent Superheroes
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