Changes in the rheological properties of wheat dough during short-term storage of wheat

BACKGROUND The aim of the present study was to investigate the ability of the small‐ and large‐deformation fundamental rheological tests to monitor the changes during short‐term post‐harvest storage of wheat. RESULTS At the end of wheat storage period, wet gluten quantity decreased, while gluten index increased in comparison to those of freshly harvested samples. The rheological properties of dough changed over the pre‐defined period of storage in terms of becoming more elastic and less extensible in comparison to that of freshly harvested wheat. Visco‐elastic properties of weaker flour samples changed more markedly during storage than those of stronger flours, indicating that the intensity of dough rheological changes during wheat storage might be dependent on gluten quality and were the characteristic of wheat variety. CONCLUSION It was shown that small deformation dynamic oscillation and large deformation creep‐recovery tests can be successfully employed to monitor the changes in flour quality during wheat storage and that required storage period after wheat harvesting has to be defined according to wheat variety initial rheological properties and its gluten quality. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry