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Evaluating bread dough rheology using Warburton’s Stickiness Rig & Texture Analyser (TA-XT2iPlus)
L. CATO (1), J. Ma (2), S. Cauvain (3) (1) AEGIC, Perth, Australia; (2) AEGIC, , Australia; (3) BakeTran, , United Kingdom.

The processing of flour, water and other ingredients to dough ready for baking involves subjecting the dough to significant stress and strain. Under these circumstances the behaviour of the gluten network is critical in delivering the final product quality. The measurements of dough rheology were undertaken using the DoughLab and the Warburton’s stickiness test in a trial programme of 144 variables covering effects of mixing speed, final dough temperature and the effects of additions of ascorbic acid (AA) and fungal <i>alpha</i>-amylase (FAA) (common components of modern bread improvers). Dough rheology with the stickiness test was assessed ex-mixer, after 1st moulding, before 2nd moulding (resting) and after 2nd moulding. Changes in dough rheology as the result of processing stages were complex but broadly showed that dough resistance increased with moulding and decreased with resting time. Overall, the compression area from Warburton’s stickiness test by the end of dough processing are significantly greater than when seen immediately after mixing. In contrast in the absence of an improver, dough stickiness did not appear to change significantly as a direct result of dough processing steps. Increasing the resting time between moulding steps increased dough firmness after final moulding. Longer resting time’s slightly decreased stickiness during processing, however, stickiness did increase after final moulding. The addition of FAA alone had an impact on the rheological properties of the dough during mixing, indicating earlier activity. The impact on dough rheological properties during mixing when FAA was the sole improver addition confirmed the previous findings when FAA was used in conjunction with AA. Changes in dough rheology ex-mixer will have important consequence for dough processing.