Browsing by Author "Van Rooyen, Jana"

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    Physicochemical, functional and structural properties of flour and starch from dry heat-treated wheat
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03) Van Rooyen, Jana; Manley, Marena; Oyeyinka, Samson; Simsek, Senay; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Agrisciences. Dept. of Food Science.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Dry thermal treatment techniques as a pre-processing method for whole wheat or flour are gaining popularity for enhancing wheat properties. The effect of heat treatment on flour functionality is of critical importance for achieving the desired outcome. This study aimed to investigate the effect of forced convection roasting on the physicochemical, functional and structural properties of whole wheat kernels, flour and starch. Firstly, chemical-structural changes in whole wheat and flour, due to roasting, were investigated by determining the effect of roasting conditions and wheat types on shortwave infrared (SWIR) spectral data using ANOVA simultaneous component analysis (ASCA). Secondly, optimum roasting conditions were determined to (1) enhance flour viscosifying properties and (2) maintain protein integrity of the produced flour. Finally, ¹H time domain (TD) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was used to investigate the molecular dynamics of the starch-water systems during heating and to differentiate between starch isolated from roasted and unroasted wheat as well as maize starch. Changes in whole wheat and flour due to roasting were characterised by determining the effect of roasting temperature, roasting frequency and wheat types on SWIR spectral data by applying ASCA. Roasting at different conditions significantly affected the chemical-structural properties of moisture, protein, starch, lipids and enzymes in wheat and/or flour as observed by the main variations in the loading line plots. Wheat roasting at 115 ºC and 140 ºC significantly affected protein stability in the white flour as well as in the whole wheat flour and kernel, respectively. Milling as well as roasting at 115 ºC and 140 ºC were responsible for starch damage observed in the white and whole wheat flour, respectively. Significant differences between hard and soft wheats were also indicated. Wheat roasting at 115 ºC and 65 Hz was predicted, by response surface methodology (RSM), to be the optimum conditions that would improve flour viscosifying properties. Optimally roasted wheat showed grain puffing, slight damage to the starch granule surface and destruction of the protein matrix. Compared to an unroasted sample, lowered relative crystallinity along with formation of amylose-lipid complexes were observed. Increased viscosities, compared to the control, were attributed to the combined effect of starch and protein properties affected by heat treatment. RSM predicted 108 ºC and 80 Hz as the optimum wheat roasting conditions that would maintain protein integrity. Increased viscosities, compared to the control, were ascribed to conformational changes in protein structures. Proteins were observed to be more heat sensitive than starch. At these optimum conditions, the starch granule structure and relative crystallinity remained relatively unaffected. TD-NMR experiments accurately demonstrated the interaction between starch and water, and the distribution of hydrogen atoms in the starch-water systems. The change in relaxation times enabled differentiation between unroasted, optimally roasted wheat starches and maize starch. Results obtained by TD-NMR, thermal and rheological analysis methods were comparable. The pulse sequences and signal processing methods used identified key characteristics associated with the structural (crystallinity), thermal (onset of gelatinisation) and rheological (maximum stiffness) properties of different starches. TD-NMR was shown in this study to be an effective and simple method to perform crystallinity measurements and study starch gelatinisation.