The aim of this research was to investigate a technological approach to decrease the sodium content from bakery products in order to respond to the World Health Organization (WHO)’s recommendation to reduce dietary salt intake. Due to the fact that sodium chloride is one of the main ingredients from baking products that affects dough rheology and therefore the technological process of the bakery products, it is important to evaluate these properties. This study analyzes the effect of sea salt with low sodium content (SS) and dry sourdough from wheat flour (SD) as substitutes for sodium chloride on dough rheological properties and on mixing, extension, pasting, and fermentation process by using Farinograph, Extensograph, Amylograph, Falling Number, and Rheofermentometer devices. The results were analyzed using response surface methodology. SS presented a strengthening effect on the gluten network whereas SD presented a weakening one. On extension properties, SS and SD presented a significant positive effect (p < 0.01) on resistance to extension (R₅₀) and maximum resistance to extension (R_max) values. For pasting properties, SS increased peak viscosity and falling number values whereas SD decreased them. On fermentation properties, SS decreased the maximum height of gaseous production and total CO₂ volume production and increased the retention coefficient whereas SD presented an antagonistic effect on these parameters.

Bakery products are one of the main sources of dietary sodium intake of the world’s population. During the last decade, sodium intake has increased worldwide and nowadays the World Health Organization recommends reducing sodium intake by up to 2 g Na/day. KCl is the leading substitute for reducing sodium in bakery products. Therefore, the main purpose of our study was to investigate the impact of sodium reduction on dough’s rheological properties by reformulating the dough recipe using two types of salts, namely NaCl and KCl, with different amounts added to wheat flour. In order to establish their combination for obtaining the optimum rheological properties of dough, the response surface methodology (RSM) by the Design Expert software was used. The effect of combined NaCl and KCl salts were made on mixing, viscometric and fermentation process by using Farinograph, Extensograph, Amylograph and Rheofermentometer devices. On dough’s rheological properties, KCl and NaCl presented a significant effect (p < 0.01) on water absorption, stability, energy, dough resistance to extension, falling number and all Rheofermentometer-analyzed values. Mathematical models were achieved between independent variables, the KCl and NaCl amounts, and the dependent ones, dough rheological values. The optimal values obtained through RSM for the KCl and NaCl salts were of 0.37 g KCl/100 g and 1.31 g NaCl/100 g wheat flour, which leads to a 22% replacement of NaCl in the dough recipe.