Production of legume-wheat dough of optimum quality for breadmaking: essential analyses required

Abstract

Bread is one of the most consumed foods worldwide, however, white bread lacks certain crucial nutrients for human health. Legume flour is an interesting ingredient for improving bread´s nutritional profile. Gluten proteins are responsible for the unique viscoelastic behavior of wheat dough. Gluten dilution by legume´s addition represents a technological challenge, specifically in rheological terms. Pretreatments of seeds such as germination or heating improve nutritional value, although they modify physicochemical properties of dough. Legumes provide globular proteins and fiber to wheat dough, leading to changes in farinographic and rheological characteristics. These properties should be determined before breadmaking to ensure optimum dough hydration and consistency for the design of high-quality products. Replacing wheat flour for legumes up to 10% results in acceptable doughs without significant differences concerning wheat dough.