The method of vacuum cooling allows to cool the bread quickly, reduce the production area for cooling, to provide sterile process conditions. The influence of cooling modes on the quality of wheat bread was studied.
The bread was cooled under a vacuum of 4–6 kPa, the rate of pressure reducion varied from 2 to 8 kPa/s.
Structural and mechanical properties of bread were determined by the method of penetration.
The critical rate of pressure drop was 4.5 kPa/s, at higher speeds the structure of the bread is destroyed, the crust is separated from the crumb. Bread cooled under vacuum stimulates freshness (elasticity) longer than after the
usual, natural method of cooling.
