Blending Value of Winter Rye with Various Viscosity of an Aqueous Extract of Grain Meal

The wide use of rye flour in the form of rye-wheaten and wheaten-rye mixes has caused the problem of the blending value of cultivated varieties, which is as important for rye as for wheat. The purpose of the research was to comparatively study the blending value of winter rye samples with various viscosity of aqueous extract of grain meal. Six rye samples with low viscosity (2.1–7.3 cP) as recipients and three samples with high viscosity (10.0–15.0 cP) were used as donors. Recipient and donor grains were mixed in the ratio 4: 1, 3: 2, 2: 3, and 1: 4. The following traits were studied: viscosity of aqueous extract (VAE), height of amylogram, falling number, shape stability of a toppling bread (H/D ratio), and volume of pan bread. Blending value of components was estimated based on improvement effect (E). It was shown that viscosity and other quality traits correlatively associated with it were subjected to the mixing rule: their expression naturally increased with increased proportion of the highly viscous donor in the mixture. The exception was the volume of pan bread, the expression of which decreased in this case. During mixing, the actual values of the traits in the mixtures almost completely coincided with the calculated values. Significant deviations from the weighted average values were revealed only for amylogram height and the volume of the pan bread, indicating possible interaction effects of the mixed components. A negative correlation was found between the viscosity level of the recipient and the effect of its improvement (r =–0.93). The most valuable improver in mixtures with low viscous rye was the Moc-12-BB donor, characterized by high expression of the VAE (15.0 cP). It was concluded that such rye could be classified as strong since a lower amount of this rye should be added to the mixture for improvement of the weak (low-viscosity) rye. The addition of highly viscous rye to low viscous rye in an amount of 20–40% was the most preferable.