Incorporation of intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium) into bread wheat doughs: Effects on pasting and rheological properties

Background and Objectives

Intermediate wheatgrass (IWG), a resilient perennial grain with adaptability to difficult climates, is emerging as a compelling candidate for sustainable food solutions in bakery product applications. This study evaluated the pasting and rheological properties of doughs made from bread wheat flour and blended bread wheat–IWG flours (IWG content: 15%, 30%, 45% and 60%), with the goal of exploring the potential of IWG flour as a nutritious and sustainable ingredient in cereal-based products.

Findings

The RVA peak, trough, and final viscosity values significantly (p < .05) decreased, and the pasting temperature increased as the IWG substitution level increased. IWG-containing flour blends had a lower retrogradation tendency compared to the control. As the IWG flour substitution level increased, both empirical (Mixograph, Kieffer dough and gluten extensibility, Glutograph) and fundamental (linear oscillatory frequency sweep and creep–recovery) rheological measurements indicated relatively weaker dough properties imparted by the addition of the IWG flour.

Conclusions

The outcomes of this research will shed light on the impacts of utilizing alternative grains, such as intermediate wheatgrass, in bakery applications. This will provide insights that could inform the development of nutritious and sustainable baked products to meet the demands of health-conscious consumers.

Significance and Novelty

The dough weakening effect of the IWG flour was tolerated at the 15% IWG flour substitution level. At lower substitution levels, the IWG-containing flour blends exhibited a lower retrogradation tendency compared to bread wheat flour, which could indicate lower staling of loaves of bread during bread storage without compromising the physical quality of bakery products. Finally, the present research fills a critical gap in the literature as it represents the first application of fundamental rheological methods at known and controlled strain and stresses to evaluate the physical properties of doughs prepared from IWG flour blends.