The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of scalded (Sc) and scalded-fermented (FSc) (with Lactiplantibacillus paracasei No. 244 strain) rye wholemeal flour on the quality parameters and acrylamide formation in semi-wheat-rye bread. To that purpose, 5, 10 and 15% of Sc and FSc were used for bread production. Results showed that scalding increased fructose, glucose and maltose content in rye wholemeal. Lower concentrations of free amino acids were found in Sc when compared with rye wholemeal, but fermentation of Sc increased the concentrations of some amino acids (on average by 1.51 times), including gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA, by 1.47 times). Addition of Sc and FSc had a significant influence (p ≤ 0.05) on bread shape coefficient, mass loss after baking and most bread colour coordinates. Most of the breads with Sc or FSc showed lower hardness after 72 h of storage compared with the control (i.e., without Sc or FSc). FSc improved bread colour and flavour, as well as overall acceptability. Breads with 5 and 10% of Sc had a similar level of acrylamide to the control, while its level in breads with FSc was higher (on average, 236.3 µg/kg). Finally, different types and amounts of scald had varying effects on the quality of the semi-wheat-rye bread. FSc delayed staling and improved sensory properties and acceptability, as well as the GABA level of wheat-rye bread, while the same level of acrylamide as was seen in control bread could be reached when using between 5 and 10% of scalded rye wholemeal flour.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different amounts (40, 80 and 100 g) of non-fermented and fermented (with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum No. 122 and Lacticaseibacillus casei No. 210) cricket flour (Cr) on the quality characteristics and acrylamide formation in wheat biscuits (WB). The main formula for WB preparation consisted of 280 g of wheat flour, 100 g of margarine, 50 g of saccharose, 3 g of vanilla sugar, 50 g of eggs, 1.5 g of salt and 2.0 g of baking powder. It was established that the highest lactic acid bacteria (LAB) number was achieved in 48 h with No. 122 fermented Cr (11.8 log10 CFU/g) and the lowest pH (4.34) was obtained after 48 h of Cr fermentation with both the tested LAB strains. The total colour differences were in the range of 17.54 to 22.08 and, in every case, fermented samples were clearly distinguished from untreated ones. Fermentation increased tyramine content in Cr (from 13.0 to 29.2 times). The main FAs in Cr were palmitic acid, stearic acid, octadec-9-enoic acid and linoleic acid. The lowest acrylamide content (84.1 µg/kg) was found in WB with 40 g of Cr fermented with No. 210. Significant differences in WB overall acceptability were not found. However, the highest intensity of emotion “happy” was elicited by WB with 80 g of Cr fermented with No. 122. Due to the demonstrated decrease of acrylamide content, fermented Cr can be considered a beneficial ingredient for the manufacture of WB.