Development of rheological standards for whole wheat flour

• Grant number: 13/08538-0
• Support type: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: August 01, 2013 - July 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Technology
• Principal researcher: Caroline Joy Steel
• Grantee: Caroline Joy Steel
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos (FEA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In Brazil, whole wheat flour is normally obtained by reincorporating wheat bran to refined wheat flour. Wheat bran has high contents of functional components (fibers, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals), concentrated in the external parts of the grain of wheat and related to many beneficial health effects. A great research field is centered in the development of cereal-based functional products with the addition of wheat bran. In breadmaking, the presence of the bran (and germ) fractions affects dough rheological properties, and consequently, alters important characteristics of the final product. The main changes caused by theses fractions rich in fibers and lipids in flour rheological properties evaluated by classical methodologies using apparatus such as the farinograph, the extensigraph and the alveograph, are the increase of water absorption, dough development time, mixing tolerance index and resistance to extension; and the decrease of extensibility. However, in the final product, bran incorporation results in the reduction of specific volume, increase in crumb firmness, darkening of the product and alterations in sensory properties. It is verified that it is not possible to use, for whole wheat flour, the same rheological standards used to classify refined wheat flour, as for the latter the consistency of the dough evaluated is related to the viscoelastic characteristics of the gluten network, while in whole wheat flour doughs, fibers affect consistency, without being related to protein quality. Researchers in cereal science and technology, the bakery industry, artisan bakeries and wheat flour mills have difficulties in classifying whole wheat flours to indicate their application in breadmaking. The greatest problem resides in the lack of correlation between the commonly used rheological parameters of these flours and the technological quality characteristics of the final products. The development of rheological standards for whole wheat flour is necessary to ensure proper use of flours with wheat bran incorporation, to minimize the current deficiencies observed. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

SEHN, GEORGIA ANE RAQUEL; STEEL, CAROLINE JOY. Staling kinetics of whole wheat pan bread. JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY-MYSORE, OCT 2019. (13/08538-0)

SEHN, GEORGIA ANE RAQUEL; STEEL, CAROLINE JOY. Classification of whole wheat flour using a dimensionless number. JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY-MYSORE, v. 54, n. 12, p. 3827-3836, NOV 2017. (13/08538-0)

Filed patent(s) as a result of this research project