Cereals & Grains Association
Log In

Are salt and ascorbic acid needed to evaluate bread wheat flours for gluten strength using small-scale dough mixers?
C. ISAAK (1), H. Sapirstein (1) (1) University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.

Salt and oxidizing agents such as ascorbic acid (AA) are essential ingredients in commercial breadmaking to improve dough handling properties and bread quality. Surprisingly these ingredients are typically not used in routine technological evaluation of dough strength by small-scale mixing. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of salt and AA in mixograph analysis of gluten strength in a diverse set of 52 Canadian HRW genotypes. The effects of conventional and reduced salt concentrations (1.5% and 0.9%, respectively) and AA (72 ppm) were investigated individually and together at 60% absorption using a 2 g micro-mixograph and compared to a control. Mixing parameters of interest were dough development time (DDT), work input to peak development (WIP), bandwidth (BW) and peak height (PH). Significant 3-way interactions were found between genotype, salt and AA for DDT, WIP, and PH indicating the complex and genotype-specific nature of interactions in dough mixing. Compared to control doughs, means and ranges of DDT and WIP increased significantly with individual addition of salt and AA, and together. Compared to salted doughs, salt+AA significantly increased means of DDT and WIP, and only increased DDT ranges. Salt but not AA increased PH and BW, and values significantly increased on average with increasing salt concentration. Strong relationships (R>0.96) were found between salted doughs and doughs mixed with salt+AA for all parameters suggesting the incorporation of AA may be unnecessary. Mixing parameters were more strongly correlated to HMW glutenin content (a key factor underlying gluten strength) when determined with salt and AA compared to control doughs. Results as a whole indicate that including salt, but likely not AA, in mixograph analysis enhances discrimination of flours for gluten strength and breadmaking potential.