Stability of Riboflavin Microencapsulated in Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cells in Iranian Bread (Lavash and Barbari)

Cereal products such as bread contain low concentrations of riboflavin, which is lost during bread production because of sodium bicarbonate in bread or exposure to light after production. Microencapsulation can be a suitable method to increase the stability of riboflavin in bread. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells in plasmolyzed and non-plasmolyzed forms as a carrier for protecting riboflavin to enrich Lavash and Barbari bread containing sodium bicarbonate and compare it with a control sample (Lavash and Barbari containing free riboflavin). 1 g of plasmolyzed and non-plasmolyzed yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells containing microencapsulated riboflavin was added to Barbari and Lavash dough (containing 0.3% and 0.5% sodium bicarbonate). The results showed that microencapsulation of riboflavin could increase its stability compared to free riboflavin in Lavash and Barbari. The stability of microencapsulated riboflavin in the plasmolyzed yeast cells was significantly higher (p 0.05) in the Barbari sample than in Lavash. The texture and volume of bread were more affected by 0.5% sodium bicarbonate. At this concentration, the specific weight of samples decreased over time. The Barbara sample enriched with microencapsulated riboflavin in the yeast cell with 0.3% sodium bicarbonate was given the highest aroma, taste, color, and total acceptance scores. Also, using microencapsulated vitamins in plasmolyzed and non-plasmolyzed yeast cells in Lavash and Barbari resulted in higher sensory scores than free (non-encapsulated) vitamins. Therefore, using plasmolyzed yeast cells could protect them from external factors and increase the stability of riboflavin against the harmful effect of sodium bicarbonate; Moreover, it could develop desirable texture and nutritional properties in the product.