Use of tea fibers as a source of dietary fiber in wheat flour and bread

Background and objectives: Tea fiber is a co-product of black tea production. It is a cheap and good source of fiber and polyphenols. In this study, the impact of finely ground tea fiber addition (2.5, 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0%) on wheat dough and bread was evaluated. Findings: Tea fiber contained 8.39% moisture, 15.65% protein, 1.58% fat, 3.63% ash, 17,289 mg GAE/kg tea fiber phenolic, and 67.62% total dietary fiber. The addition of tea fiber (2.5%, 5.0%, 7.5%, and 10.0%) decreased dough stability and extensibility, index of swelling, baking strength, loaf volume, and specific volume while increased dough development time, water absorption, dough tenacity, configuration ratio, the degree of dough softening and firmness. The baking loss of bread made with tea fibers and control were not significantly different. Crumb characteristics were similar to control loaf, except bread with 10.0% tea fiber added. The control, bread with 2.5% and 5.0% had the same sensory parameters. Conclusion: In bread making, 2.5% of tea fiber can be recommended as a fiber-enriching agent. Significance and novelty: This paper shows the characterization of tea fiber and its effect on wheat flour and dough.