Comparing bread-making properties of white and whole wheat flours from 64 different genotypes: A correlation analysis

Authors: LI, CHENG - Kansas State University; CHEN, GENGJUN - Kansas State University; Tilley, Michael - Mike; Chen, Yuanhong - Richard; LI, YONGHUI - Kansas State University

Submitted to: Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/4/2023
Publication Date: 10/4/2023
Citation: Li, C., Chen, G., Tilley, M., Chen, Y., Li, Y. 2023. Comparing bread-making properties of white and whole wheat flours from 64 different genotypes: A correlation analysis. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 114:103793. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcs.2023.103793.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcs.2023.103793

Interpretive Summary: Quality attributes of wheat and its flour strongly influence the processability, end-product performance, and consumer acceptability of wheat-based products. The quality of whole wheat flour has been estimated using the methods developed for white flour, which raised concerns due to the unknown correlations between the two flour types. The dough rheological properties and bread-making performance of white flour and whole wheat flour from 64 different wheat genotypes were evaluated and correlations between the two types of flour were developed. A strong correlation was observed for protein content, water absorption, and mixing peak time between white and whole wheat flours. White flour showed much higher peak, trough, breakdown, final, and setback viscosity values, but lower pasting temperature compared to whole wheat flour. A strong correlation was observed for the peak and breakdown viscosities between white and whole wheat flour. There was a weak, but significantly positive correlation for specific volume between bread from white and whole wheat flour. Among all parameters, protein content and water absorption were strongly correlated with the specific volume for both white and whole wheat flours. Compared to white bread, whole wheat bread had higher values of hardness, gumminess, and chewiness. The results suggest that analyzing white flour could be used to estimate whole wheat flour rheological properties. However, the determination of the whole wheat bread-making performance may require more specific quality analysis. This study provides valuable information for the baking industry to predict the bread-making performance of whole wheat flour.

Technical Abstract: Quality attributes of wheat and its flour strongly influence the processability, end-product performance, and consumer acceptability of wheat-based products. The quality of whole wheat flour (WWF) has been estimated using the methods developed for white flour (WF), which raised concerns due to the unknown correlations between WF and WWF. The objective of this study was to comparatively evaluate the dough rheological properties and bread-making performance of WF and WWF from 64 different wheat genotypes and understand their correlations. Strong correlations were identified for protein content and flour water absorption (r = 0.98 and 0.71, respectively) between the WF and WWF. Pasting properties were also strongly correlated with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.59 to 0.88 for the selected major parameters except pasting temperature. The optimum mixing time determined by Mixograph was also highly correlated (r = 0.82). In contrast, the white and whole bread volumes were not strongly correlated (r = 0.48), and neither were the water retention capacity of WWF versus WF (r = 0.28). The correlation coefficients for bread texture properties and cell area were negatively correlated. There was a negative relationship between the peak value of WF and hardness of the white bread (r= - 0.58), while it was not present for the WWF bread. This study provides valuable information for the baking industry to predict the bread-making performance of whole wheat flour.