Water properties in wheat flour dough - I: Classical thermogravimetry approach

Thermogravimetric analysis allowed inspection of the behavior of water with in a wheat flour dough. In such a system water is partitioned between coexi sting phases which are none the less far from the true thermodynamic equili brium. The vaporization rate revealed that water is released in two main st eps, the first corresponding to a mere diffusion process, the second being instead related to the desorption of water more tightly bound to the gluten network. It was observed that the overall dough moisture, the extent of mi xing, the dough resting time after mixing can modify water partition betwee n phases and the way water is released during the temperature scan. Some ef fect was also recognized in dough samples to which original water soluble p roteins had been added. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.