STUDY ON FLOUR QUALITY ASSESSMENT DESIGNED TO OBTAIN BISCUITS

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to research the influence of wheat flour on biscuits’ manufacturing. Flour, the main ingredient in most biscuits, does not bring much flavour, except perhaps where bran is included. It does contribute strongly to the baked texture, hardness and shape of biscuits. The nature of these effects differs for different biscuits related to the enrichment with fat and sugar and to the way in which the dough has been mixed. Wheat flour is the ingredient responsible for quality in confectionary including biscuits. Among the many indicators of quality of the wheat flour, the following are considered as having technological importance: the content and the quality of gluten, the fineness of the grinding, and the water absorption. Most biscuits can be made from flour that has low quantity of protein and gluten which is weak and extensible. Unfortunately, for biscuit makers, nearly all the research on flour quality by rheological testing has been done with simple flour/water/salt systems which are not easy to relate to biscuit recipes. But, it is useful to know what can be measured by using a Brabender Farinograph and Extensograph. Thus, flour with a protein level of less than 9% is best and levels of more than 9.5% often create processing problems. But, to a certain extent, the quality of  the gluten can be adjusted by additives and processing techniques.