Rheology and breadmaking performance of rice-buckwheat batters supplemented with hydrocolloids

The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of hydrocolloid addition on rheological properties and breadmaking performance of rice-buckwheat batter at different water levels. Xanthan gum (XG) and propylene glycol alginate (PGA) were added to rice-buckwheat blend (60:40) at levels of 0.5–1.5%. Batter rheological properties were investigated using dynamic measurements in the linear viscoelastic range (frequency sweep and time cure tests). The addition of both hydrocolloids significantly enhanced the storage modulus (G′) of batter. XG exerted greater effect on G′ than PGA. Different effects on starch gelatinisation were observed for the two hydrocolloids. PGA breads showed higher improvement in terms of increased specific volume (Vs), decreased crumb firmness and crumb structure than XG breads. Different technological behaviours were explained on the basis of batter rheological properties.