Wafer’s technological properties: Influence of damaged starch and arabinoxylans

Abstract

The technological properties of wafers are determined largely by the composition of the flour-based batter. The individual and interactive effects of damaged starch and arabinoxylan content in wheat flour on wafer technological attributes have not been systematically investigated. The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of damaged starch and arabinoxylan content in wheat flour on the wafers' technological properties. Two wheat flours with different damaged starch levels (8.3% and 14.2%) were supplemented with arabinoxylans extract (6.5% and 8.5%) from wheat bran. The physical properties (density and viscosity) of the wafer-batters, as well as the technological attributes of the wafers (diameter, thickness, color, moisture, water activity, and texture), were analyzed. Batter viscosity increased from 9.92 to 116.50 Pa·s (at 0.1 s⁻1) with higher arabinoxylans and damaged starch. Wafer thickness was unaffected, but diameter increased (7.39 to 7.95 mm) with higher arabinoxylans. Luminosity (L*) decreased (65.4 to 60.3) as arabinoxylans increased. Moisture content increased (3.0 to 3.6%) with higher damaged starch at 6.5% arabinoxylans but decreased (3.9 to 2.9%) at 8.5% arabinoxylans. Hardness increased (17.4 to 29.2 N) with higher arabinoxylans; at equal arabinoxylans levels, higher damaged starch also increased hardness (e.g., at 6.5% arabinoxylans: 17.7 to 25.3 N; at 8.5% arabinoxylans: 23.4 to 29.2 N). Results show that damaged starch and arabinoxylans, despite being minor components of wheat flour, crucially affect batter viscosity and wafer diameter, color, moisture, water activity, and hardness.