Grant: Engage Grants Program

Dietary sodium consumption is one of the leading causes of hypertension, which is considered to be a majorcause of cardiovascular-related deaths. As part of Health Canada's sodium reduction strategy, sodiumconcentrations in bread must be reduced from 480 mg per 100 g bread to 330 mg by 2016. This createsenormous processing challenges for Canada Bread. Sodium is a key component of bread because it promotesprotein-protein interactions and the creation of a gluten network that provides both elasticity and malleability tothe dough. Reducing salt levels results in a gluten network that is less structured and more charged, therebyaffecting the mobility of water within the dough matrix. This causes ""dough stickiness"", lowers dough mixingtolerance, and reduces dough strength. Both adhesive and cohesive forces are affected, leading to doughsticking to the processing equipment. Using mathematical models and computer simulations, and knowledgeof the dough matrix we shall (i) model the effect of salt reduction upon gluten structure, bound/unbound waterratio, and the effect of starch. (ii) then, with a viable model, study the interaction between dough and differentsurfaces and (iii) seek solutions to the problem. All this can be done without modifying any bakery equipment,and can point the way towards a solution to the problem.