INTERACTIVE EFFECTS BETWEEN MICROBIAL BREADMAKING STARTERS AND WHEAT FLOURS ON SOUR DOUGH AND BREAD QUALITY

The interactions between microbial starters and wheat flours was inves tigated by evaluating the breadmaking quality of doughs and breads mad e with Spanish flours of different extraction rates (70, 85, 100%), an d started with yeasted sour doughs inoculated by pure lactobacilli (La ctobacillus brevis and Lactobacillus plantarum) in both, frozen (1-sta ge) and dehydrated (2-stages) physical conditions. A total of fifty qu ality parameters including acidification degree, fermentative and rheo logical characteristics of bread doughs, and physico-chemical and sens ory properties of breads were determined. Flour type significantly inf luenced up to 30 variables. Some acidification properties, sensory att ributes, bread texture and rheological parameters depended on both the type of flour and the physical condition of the starter. The strain o f lactobacillus influenced to a lesser extent. When only white flours (70%) were considered, less interactive effects were observed; within brown (85%) and whole flours (100%) the influence of the kind of flour was noticeable in the majority of parameters. Higher sensory scores, greater volume, elasticity, extensibility and total oven rise characte rized samples performed with white flours; whereas higher pH, total ti tratable acidity and development time, and harder texture defined samp les made with whole flours. Intermediate values for quality parameters corresponded to samples made with brown flours.