Abstract:The author first investigated the effects of glycerol mass fraction on the sensory quality, moisture characteristics, rheological properties, and texture quality of red bean paste, aiming to determine the optimal glycerol mass fraction. The red bean paste with different water activity (Aw) was prepared by changing the frying time of the bean paste, and the red bean paste was then used as the filling to make the red bean paste-filled bread. The influence of the Aw of the red bean paste on the bread quality during storage was explored by the moisture content, texture, and staling characteristics of the bread. By studying the interaction between the red bean paste filling and the bread, the optimal Aw of the filling for bread was determined. The results showed that with the increased mass fraction of glycerol, the sensory score and moisture mass fraction of the red bean paste initially increased and then decreased, while the Aw and the relative content of free water gradually decreased. The optimal mass fraction of glycerol was 4%. Compared with the bread without red bean paste filling, the bread containing red bean paste with different Aw exhibited significant differences in moisture properties, texture characteristics, and staling properties. When the Aw of the red bean paste was 0.94, the Aw and moisture mass fraction of the bean paste-filled bread were closest to those of the control group, and the quality was more stable during storage, showing the lowest hardness and retrogradation enthalpy. Therefore, the optimal Aw value of the bread filling was 0.94.