Role of rice and added wheat protein in the mixing properties of different rice flours. A preliminary study

Structure and composition of wheat storage proteins and functional properties of wheat gluten are well studied; therefore several methods and instruments are available to determine these properties. The investigation of functional properties of rice proteins, depending on the different goal of utilisation, has not been well established, yet. In this study, the rheological properties of four varieties of rice flour were studied using a 50 g Farinograph demonstrating the mixing properties of rice flours and the alterations of these properties caused by the supplementation of wheat proteins. The considerable differences identified on the mixing curves of different rice flours indicate that the investigation of mixing properties can be one of the useful approaches for the characterisation of functional properties of rice dough. The large effects of the addition of wheat gluten on the mixing properties of rice flours demonstrate the possibility of using rice flour and dough as a wheat protein free model system for the in vitro investigation of the functional roles of wheat storage proteins