The shelf life of bread is not likely to increase up to one month, despite ongoing research, due to several factors:
1. Nature of bread: Bread is a perishable food item that contains moisture, which creates an ideal environment for the growth of mold and bacteria. It undergoes staling, where it becomes dry and loses its freshness over time.
2. Ingredient limitations: Bread is made from basic ingredients such as flour, water, yeast, and salt. While additives and preservatives can be used to extend shelf life, consumers often prefer natural and additive-free products. Therefore, researchers are limited in the types and amounts of ingredients they can use to preserve bread without compromising its taste and quality.
3. Consumer preferences: Many consumers prefer fresh bread with a soft texture and pleasant aroma. Increasing the shelf life of bread may require altering these characteristics, which could negatively impact consumer acceptance.
4. Cost considerations: Developing methods or technologies to significantly extend the shelf life of bread may involve additional expenses in terms of research, production, or packaging. These costs may not be feasible for manufacturers or may result in increased prices for consumers.
5. Environmental impact: Extending the shelf life of bread could lead to increased food waste if consumers do not consume it within the extended timeframe. This would have negative environmental consequences.
While ongoing research on bread aims to improve its quality and preservation methods, it is unlikely that the shelf life will increase up to one month due to inherent characteristics of bread, consumer preferences, cost considerations, and environmental factors.
The bread is intermediate moisture food (IMF) which is characterized by a high risk of microbial spoilage. Since the higher the moisture content of the food the less the shelf life the food is. Apart from moisture content, the ingredients incorporated such as saturated fats, milk, and sugar/salt are rich in nutrients which is a good source of microbial growth. Therefore, increasing the shelf life of bread by up to one month may be possible with the addition of artificial preservatives but will compromise the sensory characteristics. Natural preservatives could be the best option to increase the shelf life of bread to some extent without altering sensory characteristics, but this needs research to prove it.
Japanese bread contains about 38% moisture, and the water activity value of bread is 0.96, which is the standard for determining whether bacteria are likely to grow. It can be said that bread is a food that mold easily grows.
The production of bread usually involves a baking process at 200 to 250°C for 30 to 40 minutes, during which the temperature at the center exceeds 95°C and mold is killed by baking.
However, mold growth begins when mold spores attach after firing.
However, spores of heat-resistant bacteria derived from wheat do not die and remain, so it is necessary to properly control the temperature after baking.
Mold spores that float in the air during the cooling, slicing, and packaging processes after baking will adhere to the bread.
Since there are molds floating in the air, the cleanliness of the manufacturing environment after baking greatly affects the occurrence of mold on bread. For this reason, conversely, if mold spores do not attach at all, mold will not grow.