Effects of Tomato Pomace on Baking Properties of Wheat Flour and Bread Quality

The aim of this study was to investigate the properties of tomato pomace by-products by incorporating them in powder form into new bread products to improve their properties. Tomato pomace was dried, milled and incorporated with different levels (5%, 10%, 15% and 25%) into dough and breads made from wheat white flour. The addition of tomato pomace powder (TMF) influenced farinograph characteristics by increasing water absorption and dough softening, while decreasing dough development time and stability time. However, there were no notable changes observed in the quality of the bread, including baking yield, loss, and crumb moisture. The bread with added TMF showed higher protein and lipid content compared to the control sample. Specifically, the addition of 25% TMF increased fat content by 316.7%, protein content by 43.5%, and ash content by 34.1%. The sensory evaluation revealed that higher levels of TMF (25%) negatively affected overall acceptability of the bread while the bread with medium TMF, to which 15% powder was added, received the highest mean score of 4.82 out of 5, indicating its preference among customers due to its distinctive characteristics. This finding suggests that consumers prefer a moderate amount of TMF in their bread. These results highlight the potential of vegetable by-products, specifically TMF, as beneficial food additions that can improve bread's nutritional value.