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Relationships Between Gluten Rheological Properties and Hearth Loaf Characteristics

¹MATFORSK-Norwegian Food Research Institute, Osloveien 1, N-1430 Ås, Norway. ²Agricultural University of Norway, Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, P.O. Box 5040, N-1432 Ås, Norway. ³Corresponding author. E-mail: ktronsmo@danone.com. Phone: +33 169 35 74 31. Fax: +33 169 35 76 98. ⁴Current address: Danone Vitapole, RD 128, F-91767 Palaiseau Cedex, France. ⁵The University of Reading, School of Food Biosciences, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AP, UK.

The rheological properties of fresh gluten in small amplitude oscillation in shear (SAOS) and creep recovery after short application of stress was related to the hearth breadbaking performance of wheat flours using the multivariate statistics partial least squares (PLS) regression. The picture was completed by dough mixing and extensional properties, flour protein size distribution determined by SE-HPLC, and high molecular weight glutenin subunit (HMW-GS) composition. The sample set comprised 20 wheat cultivars grown at two different levels of nitrogen fertilizer in one location. Flours yielding stiffer and more elastic glutens, with higher elastic and viscous moduli (G′ and G″) and lower tan δ values in SAOS, gave doughs that were better able to retain their shape during proving and baking, resulting in breads of high form ratios. Creep recovery measurements after short application of stress showed that glutens from flours of good breadmaking quality had high relative elastic recovery. The nitrogen fertilizer level affected the protein size distribution by an increase in monomeric proteins (gliadins), which gave glutens of higher tan δ and flatter bread loaves (lower form ratio).