Chapatti sensory and textural quality in relation to whole meal flour and dough characteristics

Current study was designed to evaluate sensory and textural quality characteristics of chapatti, a commonly consumed flat bread in South-Asia in relation to flour quality parameters. Whole meals of cultivars and commercial wheat samples were analysed for physicochemical, pasting, dough and baking properties. Flours contained medium protein contents (12.4-13.7%) and possessed medium to high gluten strength (51-88). Pasting and dough properties were also suitable for chapatti making. Chapatti sensory attributes were strongly related to gluten content (r = -0.915) and strength (r = 0.851). Moderate relationships were also observed with protein (r = -0.665), falling number (r = -0.750), water absorption (r = -0.623) and maximum viscosity (r = -0.745) of whole meal flours. Tearing force for chapatti was largely related to gluten content (r = -0.893) and dough development time (r = 0.847) but also showed reasonable relationships with gluten index (r = 0.643), ash (r = 0.640), falling number (r = -0.681), maximum (r = -0.743) and breakdown (r = -0.650) viscosities. The information would be useful for household and commercial semi-mechanical chapatti-making process.