Water properties in wheat flour dough I: classical thermogravimetry approach

Thermogravimetric analysis allowed inspection of the behavior of water within a wheat flour dough. In such a system water is partitioned between coexisting phases which are none the less far from the true thermodynamic equilibrium. The vaporization rate revealed that water is released in two main steps, the first corresponding to a mere diffusion process, the second being instead related to the desorption of water more tightly bound to the gluten network. It was observed that the overall dough moisture, the extent of mixing, the dough resting time after mixing can modify water partition between phases and the way water is released during the temperature scan. Some effect was also recognized in dough samples to which original water soluble proteins had been added.