Scanning Electron Microscopic Study of Dough and Chapati from Gluten-reconstituted Good and Poor Quality Flour

• Published in: Journal of cereal science Vol. 35; no. 2; pp. 119 - 128
• Main Authors: Srivastava, Alok K., Meyer, D., Haridas Rao, P., Seibel, W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01-02-2002; Elsevier
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Cereal and baking product industries; dough; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gluten; gluten reconstitution, whole wheat flour chapati dough, chapati quality, scanning electron microscopy; Milk and cheese industries. Ice creams; scanning electron microscopy; starch granules; whole wheat flour; Asia; India; gluten reconstitution, whole wheat flour chapati dough, chapati quality, scanning electron microscopy; Bakery product; Scanning electron microscopy; Wheat flour; Quality; Chapatty; Dough; Microstructure; Gluten; Texture; Traditional food stuff
• ISSN: 0733-5210; 1095-9963
• DOI: 10.1006/jcrs.2001.0432

Hard and soft wheat flours, which were used in the study, resulted in good and poor quality chapatis respectively. Gluten was isolated and interchanged among the two whole wheat flours and studied by scanning electron microscopy for its influence on structural characteristics of dough and its relation to chapati-making quality. Microscopic observations clearly indicated that larger gluten strands covered starch granules in hard wheat flour dough, while gluten was short and starch granules exposed in dough prepared from soft wheat flour. Greater film forming ability of gluten in hard wheat flour dough manifested in long and bulky starch strands interwoven with protein matrix in its chapati crumb. Higher moisture retention and starch gelatinization as a consequence of greater film forming ability of gluten in hard wheat flour resulted in pliable and soft textured chapati.