RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND RHEOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF FLOUR AND THE BISCUIT DOUGH

Total quality control of the cookies manufacturing process involves th e characterisation of the product at all steps of the manufacturing pr ocess. A better knowledge of the physical characteristics of flour and of the rheological properties of dough during and after mixing is nec essary to characterize the technological quality of the flour and to e nable selection of wheat varieties adapted to the cookies making proce ss. In the present work, we have attempted to define discriminant phys ical and rheological criteria of flour quality and to develop the corr esponding analytical methods. The proposed approach was applied to six batches of flour by determining particle size distribution, and flour powder flow behaviour via a shear test. The mechanical characteristic s of doughs during mixing process were determined using a recording do ugh mixer and complemented by characterization of the rheological prop erties of the dough under uniaxial compression, Significant correlatio ns were found between the different groups of parameters.