Application of solvent retention capacity tests for prediction of rheological parameters of wheat flour mill streams

This paper presents relationship between the rheological properties of dough and individual polymer swelling properties in wheat flour mill streams. The swelling properties were measured by applying the Solvent Retention Capacities (SRC) tests. Significant correlation coefficients were determined for certain rheological parameters. In an effort to extract additional insights from the properties measured, a multivariate analysis was used to develop relationships between the studied parameters. To determine relevant relationships among the parameters, the data exploration step by the Principal Component Analysis was performed. Then, multivariate Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) models were developed, to predict certain empirical rheology parameters based on the SRC parameters. The processing of experimental data indicated the possibility of using SRC parameters for predicting rheological properties in conjunction with a suitable mathematical model. The presented approach may be useful for rapid prediction of wheat flour mill streams characteristics and for optimization of the end-flour performances.