Physicochemical, calorimetric and texture profile characteristics of various gluten-free flours

It is important to understand how the composition and structure of proteins from other flours differ from proteins in wheat, in order to have a better option to substitute gluten products with gluten-free food products. The aim of this study was the characterization of gluten-free flours and comparison of their rheological and calorimetric properties against wheat flour, for its use as gluten-free alternative. Chemical composition analysis, water solubility index (WSI), water absorption index (WAI), texture and calorimetric profile were determined. The closest WAI to wheat flour (1.45 g gel/g sample) was corn flour (2.41 g gel/g sample), while the WSI of chickpea flour was 5.51% approaching that of wheat flour of 5.88%. The hardness and adhesiveness values closest to wheat (1.65 kgf and 0.03 mJ) were amaranth flour with 0.85 kgf and 0.01 mJ, respectively. The phenolic content and antioxidant capacity were higher in the corn and bean flours with 244.4 mg GAE/100 g, 148 mg GAE/100 g and 190 mg AAE/100 g and 170 mg AAE/100 g, respectively. The combination of these non-conventional flours can be an innovative source of gluten-free formulas.