Effects of tempering with steam on the water distribution of wheat grains and quality properties of wheat flour

Yun-Xia Chen; Xiao-Na Guo; Jun-Jie Xing; Ke-Xue Zhu

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.126842

Effects of tempering with steam on the water distribution of wheat grains and quality properties of wheat flour

Food Chem. 2020 Apr 18:323:126842. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.126842. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yun-Xia Chen¹, Xiao-Na Guo¹, Jun-Jie Xing¹, Ke-Xue Zhu²

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province 214122, PR China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province 214122, PR China.
² State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province 214122, PR China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province 214122, PR China. Electronic address: kxzhu@jiangnan.edu.cn.

PMID: 32334316
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.126842

Abstract

In this study, the effects of tempering with steam on the water distribution of wheat grains and the microbial load in wheat flour were investigated, as well as the physicochemical properties of wheat flour. Results showed that when steam treatment time was 320 s, the total plate count (TPC), yeast and mold count (YMC), and mesophilic aerobic spores (MAS) in flour decreased by 1.74, 1.99 and 1.01 lgCFU/g, respectively. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) results showed that tempering with steam accelerated the water distribution of grains and significantly (p < 0.05) shortened the tempering time. Moreover, flour yield, particle size, ash content, and damaged starch content of flour were all altered. Furthermore, after tempering with steam, proteins were aggregated and starches were partially gelatinized, which caused dough development time and stability of flour increasing. Collectively, our findings indicated steam tempering could shorten the tempering time and improve the qualities of flour partly.

Keywords: Microbial control; Physicochemical properties; Steam; Water distribution; Wheat tempering.