Different Ways For Storing A Loaf Of Bread: Comparison Between Plastic Bag And Paper Bag
- Category Environment
- Subcategory Human Impact
- Topic Plastic Bags
- Words 641
- Page 1
Global food waste reaches about 24% of all the food that is supplied for human consumption. Half of this can be contributed to the consumption level (Kummu et al., 2012; Stancu, Haugaard, & Lähteenmäki, 2016). Food waste is a problem that affects everyone and is quickly becoming a top global issue. Based on the increasing prosperity and the expected population growth in the European Union, it is estimated that food waste will grow from 86 million ton in 2006 to 126 million ton in 2020 (Richter, 2017). To lower this amount of waste, it is important that it is minimized on every possible level. In the western world, especially Europe, bread is one of the most important staple food. It is also one of the most wasted foods due to the fact that it gets stale within a week. About 25% of the total bread and bakery products go to waste (FOODWIN, 2018). During bread storage, bread loses part of its desired texture and aroma. Therefore, it is in a person’s best interest to know the best way to keep bread fresh. Fresh bread should be soft in the middle and have a crunchy crust. A crunchy crust is defined by making a sharp sound when it is being squeezed together.
There are several ways to store a loaf of bread. One option is the use of a breadbox. A good breadbox will create an optimal environment for bread storage. The environment that is created balances humidity and air circulation. A large box is more optimal because it will allow for maximum air circulation. The more bread present in the breadbox, the higher the humidity level. For that reason, it cannot be overfilled. Another way to store bread is to wrap it in a plastic bag. The use of a plastic bag will retain moisture in order to prevent staleness. Also, freezing is a good way to store bread because it slows down the staling process. This way, bread can be kept exactly the way it was bought, soft interior and crispy crust (Johnson, 2017).
The presence of mould on bread is also an important factor that should be taken into account when storing bread. Mould can form on bread due to the presence of spores. Spores are present everywhere, but will only start growing under the right circumstances. By room temperature, mould grows faster in a humid environment than a dry environment (Shen & Zhang, 2017).
It is also important to realize that bread contains water, yeast, salt, butter and bread flour. Flour contains, amongst other things, gluten and starch. Starch is mostly present in the crust. Water has a higher affinity for starch than for gluten. So, during bread storage in a plastic bag, where moisture is retained, there is diffusion of water from the middle of the bread to the crust. This will make the crust softer (Bosmans, Lagrain, Fierens, & Delcour, 2013).
Most students in college, do not have a lot of space in their freezer or do not have one at all. Therefore it is in the students best interest to know the best way to keep bread fresh without the use of a freezer. In this paper, the best way to keep bread will be determined. It focuses on bread storage in a plastic bag and in a paper bag, other storage options are not taking into account. It is expected that when storing a loaf of white bread in a plastic bag in a breadbox, it will stay fresh for a longer period of time than when stored in only a paper bag. The use of a plastic bag was compared to the use of a paper bag. Both bags were stored in a bread box and several parameters of the bread were checked every day. This experiment was performed for four different loaves of white bread.