Saccharomyces cerevisiae SC-8303 Reduces Fructans in White Pan Bread While Preserving Baking Quality

Wheat-based bakery products are widely consumed; however, they cause gastrointestinal symptoms in some individuals, primarily attributed to fructans and fermentable carbohydrates that are abundant in wheat. This study investigated a yeast strain selection strategy to reduce fructan content during bread making and evaluated its effects on baking quality, compositional characteristics, and volatile profiles. Seventeen Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains isolated from nuruk, a traditional Korean fermentation starter, were screened for fructan-reducing and phytate-degrading activities using a dough fermentation model. Furthermore, the selected strain SC-8303 was used for white pan bread production along with a commercial reference strain under identical processing conditions. SC-8303 bread exhibited a significantly lower fructan content (0.13 ± 0.05 g/100 g DW) than the reference strain bread (0.37 ± 0.03 g/100 g DW), corresponding to an approximate 65% reduction, whereas key baking quality parameters, volatile profiles, and instrumental sensory measurements remained comparable between the two breads. SC-8303 bread also exhibited selective increases in glutamine, glycine, glutamic acid, and lysine and in vitro protein digestibility (34.2 ± 3.4%) than in SC-RS bread (27.6 ± 1.7%). These findings provide empirical support for yeast strain selection as a practical strategy for producing bread with reduced fructan content without adversely affecting product quality under standard bread-making conditions. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Fructan, a fermentable carbohydrate found in wheat, is a recognized trigger of gastrointestinal symptoms in sensitive individuals. Yeast strain selection based on fructan-reducing activity can be directly integrated into conventional commercial bread-making processes without requiring changes to existing formulations or equipment. This approach provides bakery manufacturers with a practical tool for developing low-fructan bread products targeting consumers with fructan-related dietary needs.