An integrated chemical and technological approach for assessing Portuguese wheat flours quality and lengthening bread shelf-life

Abstract

The current trend of large-scale bread production is to facilitate processing at an industrial level, considering the use of flour mixtures with different chemical and technological parameters and incorporating food additives. Accordingly, costs can be minimized, whereas the quality and the shelf-life of the final product might increase, but a full characterization of the flours that must be used and the selection of the food additives to be incorporated into the dough is required. In this context, three Portuguese wheat flour varieties were evaluated (FariRamos, Nacional and AJMiranda), as well as two types of food additives with the aim to increase bread shelf-life. In these flours, the levels of K, S, P, Ca and Cl prevailed, but the moisture and ash contents of FariRamos were the highest and lowest, respectively. The colour of all flours was generally within the desired standard values. Nacional flour contained a higher fat content, but all the flours showed a higher relative abundance of linoleic acid (C18:2), followed by palmitic acid (C16:0) and oleic acid (C18:1). AJMiranda flour revealed a higher content of wet gluten and protein, but the SDS sedimentation index showed a higher value in the FariRamos flour. The fall index, which directly monitors the activity of the α-amylase enzyme, showed a lower value in AJMiranda and Nacional. Through farinograph and alveographyc analysis it was found that FariRamos has a tenacious gluten, but AJMiranda and Nacional had a balanced gluten, yet all of them can be classified as medium flours. Bread making with a mix of FariRamos, AJMiranda and Nacional flours and incorporating preservative food additives revealed the highest shelf-life (11-days) with methyl p-hydroxybenzoate [0.05 %] and benzoic acid [0.1 %], but the colour of the breads showed a relationship of intensity of white colour that depended on the additive used. At the end of the shelf-life, molds of the Eurotium, Trichoderma and Cladosporium genera developed in the bread. It was concluded that the chemical and technological approach applied in the characterization of the flour varieties, can be directly used to define the quality and shelf-life in the bakery industry, allowing the establishment of minimum commercialization prices.

A comparison study of ancient and modern wheat: Characterization and sensory analysis of an ancient Anatolian wheat Triticum dicoccum (Kavilca) grown in Kars, Türkiye

“…Oleic and linoleic acid contents were determined to be the most essential fatty acids in the our of T. aestivum and T. durum [24]. In the literature studies, linoleic, palmitic, and oleic acid content have a higher abundance among the other fatty acids in our samples [24]. The ndings of this study are compatible with the literature according to this aspect.…”

“…In addition, the highest amount of palmitic acid was found in TDF (17.10%) (p < 0.05). Oleic and linoleic acid contents were determined to be the most essential fatty acids in the our of T. aestivum and T. durum [24]. In the literature studies, linoleic, palmitic, and oleic acid content have a higher abundance among the other fatty acids in our samples [24].…”

“…The amount of lipids in wheat grain is quite low (between 3 and 4%), and they are mostly found in the germ [24]. Most of the fatty acids found in wheat are unsaturated (C18:1, C18:2, and C18:3) and two of them are essential (linoleic and linolenic) [25].…”

Technological quality of wheat grains and flour as affected by nitrogen fertilization and weather condition

“…Moreover, the varied plant responses to N fertilization in PG rainfed is evidence that the wheat genotypes have distinct efficiencies for N uptake, assimilation and utilization (Benin et al, 2012;Hawkesford, 2017;Marinho et al, 2022a), which influences the quality of the produced grains. In this context, the difference in wet gluten concentration among the studied genotypes indicates that this grain trait is genetically controlled, although it is influenced by environmental conditions and agronomic crop practices (Denčić et al, 2011;Lidon et al, 2019).…”

Development of a new bread type supplemented iron and folic acid– Chemical and technological characterization

“…Some of these fatty acids are essential for health, namely palmitic (C16:0), oleic (C18:1) and linoleic (C18:2) acids, but can also be implicated in the development of aroma and taste and also influence texture (Sgarbieri, 1987;El-Dash et al, 1990). Besides, the levels of minerals and vitamins are also very low in wheat grain (about 2 % - Lidon et al, 2019).…”