The effect of adding Chlorella vulgaris to corn bread on bread quality criteria and dough rheology

Microalgae is a functional food source that can be used in gluten-free bread with low nutritional value and can be used in the development of new food products due to the potential health benefits of being rich in nutritional components (proteins, minerals, vitamins, pigments, fatty acids, phenolic and antioxidant compounds). In this thesis, the effects of the addition of Chlorella vulgaris microalgae at 1, 3, 6 and 10% ratios to corn flour to be used in bread making on rheological, bread samples chemical, physical properties and sensory evaluation in bread dough were investigated and compared with the control sample. As a result of the study, a general increase in the values of G', G'' which are viscoelastic parameters and a decrease in the tanδ values were determined in the rheological analysis of the addition of C. vulgaris microalgae, except for doughs with 1% addition C. vulgaris, in the rheological analysis. Although it causes an increase in protein, ash, fat, water holding, weight, hardness, chewiness, cohesiveness, gumminess, total phenolic content and total antioxidant capacity values, which are the parameters of chemical and physical properties in bread samples; caused a decrease in moisture, volume, specific volume, bake loss, springiness, colour and sensory parameter values. In the sensory evaluation, the control bread received the highest values in all parameters of shape and symmetry, odour, taste, chewiness, porosity and homogeneity, colour, general evaluation, while the acceptability of the corn breads with C. vulgaris added decreased with the increase in concentration. The use of C. vulgaris in high concentrations in corn breads caused a decrease in some quality criteria with pyhsical and chemical properties due to the low acceptability of its hallmark colour, odor, and taste by consumers; but it has increased its nutritional value. According to the results of the analysis, the CME-10 sample had the highest nutritional content. In the CME-10 sample, the amount of mineral content is for elements Mg, K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Zn and P, respectively; 330.16; 1,095.81; 158.75; 1.48; 22.74; 34.93; 1,236.03 mg/kg, protein content 7.71%, total phenolic content 171.37 mg GAE/100 g, total antioxidant capacity according to CUPRAC, DPPH and ABTS methods, respectively; 30.23; 14.55 and 15.34 µmol TE/g and it was determined that there was a statistically significant (p<0.05) difference from the control sample.