Effect of heating treatment on processing characteristics of rice dough

Rice dough is a good source of digestible protein due to its advantages of being gluten-free and hypoallergenic compared to wheat dough, but the poor elasticity, low elongation and adhesion of rice dough limit its application. The effect of heating treatment with different temperature (40–100 °C) on processing characteristics of rice dough was explored. The results of fermentation characteristics showed that the best gas production and gas retention properties of rice dough were achieved at 70 °C. The rheological properties demonstrated a certain degree of deformation resistance at 85 °C, which resulted in the rice dough system exhibiting a tendency to flow at this temperature. Consequently, the blanching dough below 85 °C was deemed preferable for blanching. In addition, with the increase of temperature during blanching., the strength of the rice dough gel network increased. The results of proton distribution showed some of the emi-bound and free water in the rice dough was bound to bound water by exposed hydroxyl groups, leading to an increased bound water content, a decreased adsorbed and free water content. The degree of gelatinization of the rice dough increased gradually with increased blanching temperature, and the stability and resilience of rice dough reached the best at 70 °C. The thermal stability demonstrated that the ungelatinized portion of the rice dough exhibited enhanced structural stability, with the optimal thermal stability attained at 70 °C. It can therefore be concluded that the scalded dough made at 70 °C exhibits superior performance in all aspects and is suitable for subsequent processing of rice dough, which suggests a novel approach to the utilisation of rice dough in the future.