Impact of altered starch functionality on wheat dough microstructure and its elongation behaviour

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Materials Science
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Mechanical starch modification (MSM) impacts wheat flour dough properties.
• Understanding dough microstructure development is crucial for baking performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate the effect of kneading on dough microstructure, elongation, and bread volume in high MSM wheat flour.
• Determine the relationship between dough resistance, network structure, and specific bread volume.

Main Methods:

• Wheat flour with high MSM was used.
• Dough resistance to extension (Rmax) and specific bread volume were measured.
• Microstructure analysis focused on protein network connectivity, branching rate, end-point rate, and lacunarity.

Main Results:

• Prolonged kneading increased Rmax by 52.5% due to enhanced protein network connectivity.
• Improved network structure involved increased protein branching (+14.8%), decreased end-point rate (-24.3%), and reduced lacunarity (-64%).
• Adapted kneading time significantly increased specific bread volume by 24.4%, with Rmax highly correlated (r=0.97) when not over-kneaded.

Conclusions:

• Optimized kneading time is critical for maximizing bread volume in high MSM wheat flour.
• Starch swelling in high MSM flour can weaken gluten network connectivity, impacting dough properties.
• The study highlights the interplay between mechanical starch modification, kneading, dough rheology, and final bread quality.