Food chemistry researcher Jeffrey Moore and his team at the University of Maryland conducted a study to see if they could increase levels of antioxidants in dough. Antioxidants, molecules that reduce or prevent the oxidation of unstable chemicals known as free radicals, are known to help protect against cell and issue damage that cause heart disease, cancer, and other health-related problems.

They were especially interested in pizza dough because of pizza’s popularity in American society. So, the team cooked whole-grain pizza dough made from two different types of wheat. Whole-grain wheat contains bran and endosperm components that provide the antioxidant materials. Regular flour used in most pizza dough is almost always refined flour, where nearly all of the good antioxidant materials have been removed.

They cooked the dough at a range of temperatures from 204 to 285 degrees Celsius (400 to 545 degrees Fahrenheit) and at a range of baking times from seven to 14 minutes.

By baking the dough longer the antioxidant levels went up by 60%. By baking it at higher temperatures the antioxidant levels went up by 82%. The levels depended on the type of wheat used and the type of antioxidant test used. In addition, the Moore team saw that letting the dough ferment up to 48 hours also added to the amount of antioxidants.

The team announced their results at the National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society in Chicago, Illinois, held between March 25 and 29, 2007. It is unknown at this time whether Chicago-style deep-dish pizza was served at the gathering.

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