Abstract
The safety and shelf life of wheat bread depend not only on recipe formulation and fermentation but also on post-baking handling, particularly the packaging stage. This study focused on evaluating the effect of the temperature of the bread crumb at the moment of packaging (30, 40, and 45 °C) on acrylamide content and microbiological spoilage during storage. Wheat bread samples prepared with 5, 10, and 15% Lactiplantibacillus plantarum sourdough were compared to control bread without sourdough. The results revealed that packaging at elevated temperatures (40–45 °C) led to higher residual acrylamide levels and accelerated mold growth due to condensation and increased humidity inside polyethylene bags. In contrast, packaging at 30 °C significantly reduced acrylamide formation, limited microbial proliferation, and extended the shelf life of bread up to 7 days while maintaining acceptable sensory qualities. The combined effect of sourdough concentration and packaging temperature demonstrated that the optimal conditions for ensuring safety and extending shelf life are the use of 5–10% sourdough and packaging at 30 °C. These findings underline the critical role of sourdough content and packaging temperature in controlling chemical contaminants and microbiological spoilage in bread production.