Factors Controlling Gas Cell Failure in Bread Dough

Stress relaxation in the wall of a gas bubble, as measured by the alveograph, was used to study surface tension at the gas-dough interface of doughs from flours producing differing bread crumb grains. The surface tensions in the various wheat flour doughs were not different. Dough rheological properties, as measured by both dynamic oscillatory rheometry and lubricated uniaxial compression, were not different for doughs made from wheat flours that gave breads with different crumb grains. However, when the effect of starch granule size on gas cell wall stability was tested, the presence of a greater proportion of large starch granules in wheat flour dough was sufficient to result in gas cell coalescence and open crumb grain in the final baked product. This suggests that starch granule size is at least one of the factors that affects the crumb grain of bread.     

Protein Allelic Composition,Dough Rheology,and Baking Characteristics of Flour Mill Streams from Wheat Cultivars with Known and Varied Baking Qualities

Flour mill streams obtained by milling grain of 10 bread wheat cultivars grown in the Skopje region of Macedonia were analyzed for rheological and breadmaking quality characteristics and for composition of gliadins and HMW‐GS. The objective of this study was to examine the relationships between the composition of gluten proteins and breadmaking quality, as well as to determine the importance of gluten proteins for technological quality of flour mill streams. The grain was milled in an experimental mill according to a standardized milling procedure, with three break and three reduction passages. The addition of two vibratory finishers in the milling scheme enabled better separation of bran. A small‐scale baking method for evaluation of the breadmaking properties was developed, and electrophoretic methods including acid‐PAGE and SDS‐PAGE were used to determine the composition of the gluten proteins. There were significant differences in the degree of dough softening of individual and total flour fractions of the flour mill streams for cultivars with different alleles from six loci, for farinograph water absorption from seven loci, and for bread loaf volume and crumb quality score from six loci. The Glu‐1 quality scores for the wheat cultivars investigated were 3–9 and proved to be a useful indicator of breadmaking quality. The novel feature of the investigation related to the breadmaking potential of the flour mill streams compared with straight‐run flours.     

Dough Properties and Bread Quality of Wheat–Barley Composite Flour as Affected by β‐Glucanase

Barley is rich in nutritionally positive compounds, but the quality of bread made of wheat–barley composite flours is impaired when a high percentage of barley is used in the mixture. A number of enzymes have been reported to be useful additives in breadmaking. However, the effect of β‐glucanase on breadmaking has scarcely been investigated. In this paper, the influence of different levels (0.02, 0.04, 0.06, and 0.08%, based on composite flour) of β‐glucanase (100,000 U/g) on the properties of dough and bread from 70% wheat, 30% barley composite flour were studied. Although dough development time, dough stability, and protein weakening value decreased after β‐glucanase addition, dough properties such as softness and elasticity as well as bread microstructure were improved compared with the control dough. β‐Glucanase also significantly improved the volume, texture, and shelf life of wheat–barley composite breads. The use of an optimal enzyme concentration (0.04%) increased specific volume (57.5%) and springiness (21%), and it reduced crumb firmness (74%) and staling rate. Bread with added β‐glucanase had a better taste, softness, and overall acceptability of sensory characteristics compared with the control bread. Moreover, the quality of wheat–barley composite bread after addition of 0.04% β‐glucanase was nearly equal to the quality of pure wheat bread. These results indicate that dough rheological characteristics and bread quality of wheat–barley composite flour can be improved by adding a distinct level of β‐glucanase.     

Glucose Oxidase in Breadmaking Systems

The mechanism of glucose oxidase action in breadmaking was investigated by studying the baking performance of glucose oxidase, the active ingredient that it produced, and its effect on the rheological properties of dough. Glucose oxidase improved the loaf volume of bread made by 45-, 70-, and 90-min fermentation processes. Although the increase in loaf volume was significant, it was less than that obtained with an optimum level of KBrO₃. With the 90-min fermentation process, the crumb grain of bread was similar for loaves oxidized with optimum levels of glucose oxidase or KBrO₃. The rheological properties of doughs containing glucose oxidase and doughs containing no oxidant were compared. Doughs made with glucose oxidase had higher G′ and G″ and lower tan δ values than doughs made without an oxidant. Hydrogen peroxide was responsible for a drying effect in doughs. This drying effect of glucose oxidase was reduced significantly by incorporation of free radical scavengers into the dough.     

Baking Quality of Bread Wheat Cultivars Damaged by Nysius simulans

Wheat grain may be attacked by different insect species. Among them, some Heteroptera species (e.g., Aelia spp. and Eurygaster spp.) reduce wheat breadmaking quality; others, such as Nysius simulans , commonly extract water and nutrients from soy plants. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of N. simulans infestation on breadmaking quality of different bread wheat cultivars. Twelve wheat cultivars (damaged and undamaged by N. simulans ) were studied. Infested grain percentage varied between 51 and 78%, depending on cultivar. Protein and gluten quantity and quality were significantly reduced in damaged flours, as shown by gluten index, solvent retention capacity, and SDS sedimentation index. SDS‐PAGE from water‐extractable proteins evidenced an important proteolytic activity in damaged samples. Dough rheological properties showed a reduced dough viscoelasticity in damaged samples. Microbread specific volume changed from 3.26 cm³/g for samples made with undamaged flour to 2.77 cm³/g for bread made with damaged flour. No evidence for modification in starch properties was found. The infestation by N. simulans reduced wheat breadmaking quality in all cultivars studied, as a result of proteolytic activity occurring after dough hydration. Results suggest that the presence of N. simulans should be considered as a factor affecting wheat crops, mainly those located next to soy crop areas, which is the usual host for this insect.     

Effects of Oat Grain Hydrothermal Treatments on Wheat-Oat Flour Dough Properties and Breadbaking Quality

Hydrothermal treatments, which are routine in oat processing, have profound effects on oat flour dough rheological properties. The influence of roasting and steam treatments of oat grain on dough mixing and breadbaking properties was investigated when hydrothermally treated oat flour was blended with wheat flour. Roasting of oat grain (105°C, 2 hr) resulted in oat flours that were highly detrimental to wheat flour dough mixing properties and breadbaking quality. Steaming (105°C, 20 min) or a combination of roasting and steaming of oat grain significantly improved the breadbaking potential of the oat flours. The addition of oat flours increased water absorption and mixing requirements of the wheat flour dough and also decreased bread loaf volume. However, at the 10% substitution level, steamed oat flours exhibited only a gluten dilution effect on bread loaf volume when wheat starch was used as a reference. Oat flour in the breadbaking system decreased the retrogradation rate of bread crumb starch. The results indicate that adequate hydrothermal treatments of oat grain are necessary for oat flour breadbaking applications. Steamed oat flours used at a 10% level retarded bread staling without adversely affecting the loaf volume.     

Formation of dityrosine cross-links during breadmaking

To establish its significance during commercial breadmaking, dityrosine formation was quantified in flours and doughs of six commercial wheat types at various stages of the Chorleywood Bread Process. Dityrosine was formed mainly during mixing and baking, at the levels of nmol/g dry weight. Good breadmaking flours tended to exhibit a higher dityrosine content in the final bread than low quality ones, but no relationship was found for dityrosine as a proportion of flour protein content, indicating that the latter was still a dominant factor in the analysis. There was no correlation between gluten yield of the six wheat types and their typical dityrosine concentrations, suggesting that dityrosine cross-links were not a determinant factor for gluten formation. Ascorbic acid was found to inhibit dityrosine formation during mixing and proving, and it has no significant effect on dityrosine in the final bread. Hydrogen peroxide promoted dityrosine formation, which suggests that a radical mechanism involving endogenous peroxidases might be responsible for dityrosine formation during breadmaking.     

French Bread Loaf Volume Variations and Digital Image Analysis of Crumb Grain Changes Induced by the Minor Components of Wheat Flour

A standard quality flour for French breadmaking was fractionated by extraction of water‐soluble components (6% db) and by defatting (<1%db) to study the impact of soluble components and lipids on bread quality in terms of loaf specific volume (v_s) and crumb structure. Addition of puroindolines (<0.2%) was also tested. Crumb cell structure was assessed by digital image analysis (DIA) according to erosion‐dilation and closing treatments. The fraction of cells area with size <1 mm (%d<1) was defined as an index of fineness of crumb structure. Both DIA procedures allowed differentiation of crumb structures obtained by various formulations and, in the range of composition modifications tested, variations by a factor of 2 of both criteria (v_s and %d1) were obtained. Soluble fraction increased v_s and decreased fineness. Defatting and adding puroindolines increased fineness with no effect on v_s. The possible role of molecular components of each flour fraction was discussed in terms of rheological and foaming properties. DIA methods and flour recipes tested in this work offer a valuable tool for further studies on the processing‐structure‐properties relationships of French bread dough and crumb.     

Creep‐Recovery of Wheat Flour Doughs and Relationship to Other Physical Dough Tests and Breadmaking Performance

Measurements of creep‐recovery of flour‐water doughs were made using a dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA) in a compression mode with an applied probe force of 50 mN. A series of wheat flour and blend samples with various breadmaking potentials were tested at a fixed water absorption of 54% and farinograph optimum water absorption, respectively. The flour‐water doughs exhibited a typical creep‐recovery behavior of a noncross‐linked viscoelastic material varying in some parameters with flour properties. The maximum recovery strain of doughs with a fixed water absorption of 54% was highly correlated (r = 0.939) to bread loaf volume. Wheat flours with a large bread volume exhibited greater dough recovery strain. However, there was no correlation (r = 0.122) between maximum creep strain and baking volume. The maximum recovery strain of flour‐water doughs also was correlated to some of the parameters provided by mixograph, farinograph, and TA‐XT2 extension.     

Localization of puroindoline-a and lipids in bread dough using confocal scanning laser microscopy

Puroindolines are lipid-binding proteins from wheat flour that play a significant role in bread crumb texture. The localization of wheat flour lipids and puroindoline-a (PIN-a) in bread dough was studied by confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM). Wheat lipids were located around gas cells (GC) and embedded within the protein-starch matrix (SPM) of the dough. PIN-a was mainly located in the matrix of dough, where it was associated with lipids. In contrast, in defatted dough, PIN-a was found around GC. Addition of puroindolines in bread dough induced a defatting of the gas bubble surface and a decrease of the lipid vesicles and/or droplet size embedded within the SPM. Therefore, puroindolines control the lipid partitioning within the different phases of dough, a phenomenon that should have important consequence on the gas bubble expansion and GC formation in the further stages (fermentation, baking) of the bread-making process.     

Bread Crumb Grain Development During Baking

Scanning electron microscopy was used to study gas cell size, shape, and distribution throughout the breadmaking process. Flours that produced bread with a relatively good grain and a relatively poor grain were used. Micrographs of the dough samples were taken at mixing; before and after each of two punches; before and after panning; after proofing; and after 12, 18, and 24 min (complete) of baking. No differences were found between the two flours at any dough stage. However, after 12 min of baking, the cell distributions were different between the doughs. These results suggest that the crumb grain differentiates during the early stages of baking. The changes documented during this time, i.e., cells becoming larger and the cell walls thicker, indicate that some gas cells coalesce during the early stages of baking and that this is reflected in the crumb grain of the bread.     

Relationships Between Gluten Rheological Properties and Hearth Loaf Characteristics

The rheological properties of fresh gluten in small amplitude oscillation in shear (SAOS) and creep recovery after short application of stress was related to the hearth breadbaking performance of wheat flours using the multivariate statistics partial least squares (PLS) regression. The picture was completed by dough mixing and extensional properties, flour protein size distribution determined by SE‐HPLC, and high molecular weight glutenin subunit (HMW‐GS) composition. The sample set comprised 20 wheat cultivars grown at two different levels of nitrogen fertilizer in one location. Flours yielding stiffer and more elastic glutens, with higher elastic and viscous moduli (G′ and G″) and lower tan δ values in SAOS, gave doughs that were better able to retain their shape during proving and baking, resulting in breads of high form ratios. Creep recovery measurements after short application of stress showed that glutens from flours of good breadmaking quality had high relative elastic recovery. The nitrogen fertilizer level affected the protein size distribution by an increase in monomeric proteins (gliadins), which gave glutens of higher tan δ and flatter bread loaves (lower form ratio).     

Breadmaking Use of Andean Crops Quinoa,Kañiwa,Kiwicha, and Tarwi

The effect of addition of flours from the highly nutritious Andean crops quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), kañiwa (Chenopodium pallidicaule), kiwicha (Amaranthus caudatus), and tarwi (Lupinus mutabilis) has been investigated in wheat doughs and fresh bread quality. The thermomechanical profile of wheat doughs and bread quality has been explored by increasing substitution of wheat flour at 0–100% by Andean crop flours. Dough blends were evaluated using the Chopin Mixolab device, whereas bread quality assessment comprised sensory (overall acceptability) and physicochemical (moisture, specific volume, texture, color) determinations in composite breads. In general, no breads with aerated crumb structure could be obtained from 100% Andean crop flours, with the exception of quinoa breads that had overall sensory values about half a completely perfect score, and which were not significantly different from the breads made from a 50:50 blend of wheat and quinoa. Replacement of wheat flour by ≤12.5% (tarwi), 25% (kañiwa), and 50% (kiwicha), respectively, still produced breads with good sensory acceptability but variable color and doughs with acceptable thermomechanical patterns. Partial substitution of wheat flour by Andean crop flours constitutes a viable option to improve the nutritional value of the breads, with acceptable technological performance of dough blends and composite breads.     

Evaluation of Various Baking Methods for Polished Wheat Flours

Flour qualities of polished wheat flours of three fractions, C‐1 (100–90%), C‐5 (60–50%), and C‐8 (30–0%), obtained from hard‐type wheat grain were used for the evaluation of four kinds of baking methods: optimized straight (OSM), long fermentation (LFM), sponge‐dough (SDM) and no‐time (NTM) methods. The dough stability of C‐5 in farinograph mixing was excellent and the maturity of polished flour doughs during storage in extensigraph was more improved than those of the commercial wheat flour (CW). There were no significant differences in the viscoelastic properties of CW dough after mixing, regardless of the baking method, while those of polished flour doughs were changed by the baking method; this tendency became clear after fermentation. The polished flours could make a better gluten structure in the dough samples after mixing or fermentation using LFM and SDM, as compared with other baking methods. Baking qualities such as specific volume and storage properties of breads from all polished flours made with SDM increased more than with other methods. In addition, viscoelastic properties of C‐5 and C‐8 doughs fermented by SDM were similar to those of CW, and the C‐5 breadcrumb showed softness similar to that of the CW. Also, SDM could make C‐5 bread with significantly higher elasticity and cohesiveness after storage for five days when compared with CW bread. Therefore, SDM with long fermentation, as compared with other baking methods, was considered suitable for use with polished flours to give better effects on dough properties during fermentation, resulting in more favorable bread qualities.     

Understanding and Modeling the Processing‐Mechanical Property Relationship of Bread Crumb Assessed by Indentation

Measuring fundamental mechanical parameters such as Young's modulus and critical stress is a straightforward and valid approach to evaluating the physical texture of breadcrumb. The objectives of this study were to evaluate whether such fundamental mechanical properties could be measured by indentation techniques such as the AACC crumb firmness method, and then to alter breadmaking conditions so as to model the relationship between these indentation mechanical properties as a function of crumb moisture content and crumb density. Bread was baked according to a short dough process using Canadian western red spring (CWRS) wheat flour. Factors considered in the design of experiments were proofing time, water absorption, crosshead speed, and indenter diameter. Young's modulus and critical stress, measured with 12‐ and 20‐mm cylindrical indenters, were well covalidated with those obtained from a standard compression test. With increases in proofing time and water absorption, a more porous and compliant bread texture led to decreasing Young's modulus and critical stress. Our results revealed a good mapping of mechanical properties to crumb moisture content and density that were correlated to breadmaking conditions, thus permitting more precise prediction of the mechanical properties that determine bread texture.     

Distribution of Glutathione in Millstreams and Relationships to Chemical and Baking Properties of Flour

Fourteen millstream flours, a straight‐run flour, bran, pollard, and germ were prepared separately from two Australian and two New Zealand wheat cultivars using a 650 kg/hr pilot roller mill. Glutathione (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) were measured in all samples. The Australian cultivars had higher levels of GSH and GSSG than the New Zealand cultivars, and in all cultivars the levels in pollard and germ were considerably higher than in flour samples. Generally, the early break flours and early reduction flours had lower GSSH/GSSG levels than the tail‐end break and reduction flours. There was a strong correlation between GSH/GSSG and ash content in millstream flours, which indicated that much of the GSH/GSSG in the flour was likely to have derived from contamination by bran, aleurone (pollard), and germ. There were also moderate to strong correlations between GSH/GSSG and the cysteine content of all proteins in flour. GSH/GSSG correlated strongly with the albumin and globulin content of flour but not with gliadin and glutenin. The volume and crumb texture properties of bread made with millstream flours in the absence of ascorbic acid (AA) were negatively correlated with GSH/GSSG. The change in bread volume and texture properties when AA was added to dough (baking improver effect of AA), however, were poorly correlated with GSH/GSSG.     

Phytochemical Profile and Antiproliferative Activity of Dough and Bread Fractions Made from Refined and Whole Wheat Flours

Phytochemical profile (phenolic acids, carotenoids, and tocopherols) and antiproliferative properties of bread processing fractions, including the dough, crumb, and upper crust made from refined wheat and whole wheat flours were analyzed for two wheat cultivars. Ferulic acid, lutein, and α‐tocopherol were the predominant phenolic acid, carotenoid, and tocopherol, respectively, extracted from all fractions. The levels of all phytochemicals in whole wheat samples were over eightfold higher than their corresponding refined wheat samples. The concentrations of total phenolic acids (soluble and insoluble bound) were higher in the upper crust of refined (∼60–90%) and whole wheat (∼15–40%) breads than their corresponding dough fractions. However, the dough of whole wheat had higher levels of tocopherols and carotenoids compared with the crumb and upper crust, suggesting that phenolic acids were relatively stable during baking, whereas tocopherols (∼25–80%) and carotenoids (∼20–80%), were partially degraded. The antiproliferative activity of whole wheat bread extracts against HT‐29 cancer cells was weakly correlated with total phenolic acids but showed no correlations with total carotenoid and total tocopherol contents.     

Effects of a Novel Barley,Himalaya 292, on Rheological and Breadmaking Properties of Wheat and Barley Doughs

A barley mutant with high‐amylose starch, Himalaya 292, combines the potential cholesterol reducing effects of barley with the gastrointestinal benefits of high‐amylose resistant starches. Himalaya 292 has alterations in the content and composition of a range of grain constituents, thus conditions for successful addition to foods need to be defined. In this study, the rheological and breadmaking properties of doughs prepared by combining wheat flours (with various gluten protein compositions) with various barley genotypes (Himalaya 292 and the control cultivars Himalaya and Torrens) have been determined. The effects of barley addition on the rheological properties of the admixtures differed. While addition of Himalaya 292 increased the strength and reduced the extensibility of admixture doughs, addition of the Himalaya and Torrens barley flours to the wheat flours reduced both strength and extensibility. The addition of Himalaya and Torrens barley flour reduced water absorption levels. However, addition of Himalaya 292 whole grain flour increased the water absorption of the admixtures significantly (P < 0.01). The baking data showed that selection of an appropriate wheat flour with a combination of strength and extensibility allows higher levels of incorporation of barley, facilitating an increased delivery per serving of constituents with positive health attributes in β‐glucan and resistant starch.     

Mixing Properties,Baking Potential,and Functionality Changes in Storage Proteins During Dough Development of Triticale‐Wheat Flour Blends

Flours from advanced lines or cultivars of six triticales and two prime hard wheats, along with triticale‐wheat blends, were investigated for mixing, extension (excluding blends), and baking properties using microscale testing. Percentage total polymeric protein (PPP) and percentage unextractable polymeric protein (UPP) of flours and doughs, including blends, mixed to optimal dough development were estimated using size‐exclusion HPLC to determine the changes in protein solubility and association with blend composition (BC), mixing properties, and loaf height. Each triticale was blended with flours of each of the two wheat cultivars (Hartog and Sunco) at 0, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 100% of wheat flour. Nonlinear relationships between BC and mixograph parameters (mixing time [MT], bandwidth at peak resistance [BWPR], and resistance breakdown [RBD]) were observed. A linear relationship between BC and peak resistance (PR) was predominant. PPP of triticale flours was mostly higher than PPP of wheat cultivars. UPP of all triticales was significantly lower than wheat cultivars. PPP of freeze‐dried doughs was mostly nonsignificant across the blends and showed a curvilinear relationship with BC. The deviations from linearity of MT and PPP were higher in triticale‐Sunco blends than in triticale‐Hartog blends. UPP of blends was closer to or lower than the lower component in the blend. The deviations from linearity for MT and UPP were greater in triticale‐Hartog blends than triticale‐Sunco blends. A highly significant correlation (P < 0.001) was observed between BWPR and loaf height. This suggested that BWPR in triticale‐wheat flour blends could be successfully used for the prediction of loaf height. Triticale flour could be substituted for wheat flour up to 50% in the blend without drastically affecting bread quality. Dough properties of triticale‐wheat flour blends were highly cultivar specific and dependent on blend composition. This strongly suggested that any flour blend must be tested at the desired blend composition.     

Effects of Flour Strength,Baking Absorption,and Processing Conditions on the Structure and Mechanical Properties of Bread Crumb

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of flour type, baking absorption, variation in sheeting, and dough proofing time on the density, crumb grain (visual texture), and mechanical properties (physical texture) of bread crumb. All response variables were measured on the same bread crumb specimens. Bread loaves were prepared by a short‐time bread‐making process using four spring wheat flours of varying strength. After crumb density measurement, digital image analysis (DIA) was used to determine crumb grain properties including crumb brightness, cell size, cell wall thickness, and crumb uniformity. Tensile tests were performed on bone‐shaped specimens cut from the same bread slices used for DIA to obtain values for Young's modulus, fracture stress, fracture strain, and fracture energy. Proof time had the most profound influence on the bread with substantial effects on loaf volume, crumb density, crumb brightness, and grain, as well as crumb mechanical properties. Increasing proof time resulted in higher loaf volume, lower crumb density and brightness, coarser crumb with fewer and larger cells with thicker cell walls, and weaker crumb tensile properties. Varying flour type also led to significant differences in most of the measured crumb parameters that appeared to correspond to differences in gluten strength among the flour samples. With increasing flour strength, there was a clear trend to increasing loaf volume, finer and more uniform crumb grain, and stronger and more extensible bread crumb. Increasing baking absorption had virtually no effect on crumb structure but significantly weakened crumb strength and increased fracture strain. In contrast, varying the number of sheeting passes had a minor effect on crumb cellular structure but no effect on mechanical properties. The experimental data were consistent with a cause‐effect relationship between flour strength and the tensile strength of bread crumb arising as a result of stronger flours exhibiting greater resistance to gas cell coalescence, thereby having fewer crumb defects.