The preparation and storage of frozen bread has proved to be advantageous for the market and to the final consumer. First because of loss reduction and need for smaller physical storage space and workforce, second because it provides always fresh bread. This study aimed to investigate the influence of storage on the viability of yeast cells in frozen French bread. In order to that, frozen French breads were prepared by the direct-dough method: the ingredients (premix for French bread, fresh yeast and water) were mixed until the dough was fully developed and then divided into portions of 60g and moulded. Freezing was held in ultra freezer at -32°C and the storage was made in chambers at temperatures of -18oC and -40°C. To estimate the shelf life, the study of reduction of leavening cells viability in frozen French bread dough was analyzed. This test was performed in Petri dishes containing Sabouraud agar with chloramphenicol 0.2% at 28°C during 5 days. The kinetics of reduction of leavening cells viability followed a first-order reaction, which rate constants were 0.027 days-1 (R²=0.931) and 0.026 day-¹ (R²=0.938) for -18°C and -40°C temperatures, respectively. For both temperatures, the 50% reduction in the number of leaven occurred in approximately 25 days.
panification; leaven; stability
