0139–3006/$ 20.00 © 2015 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest Acta Alimentaria, Vol. 44 (4), pp. 511–519 (2015) DOI: 10.1556/066.2015.44.0022 EFFECT OF TRITICALE GRAIN CHARACTERISTICS, SCOURING, AND EXTRUSION CONDITIONS ON PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROPERTIES, ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY, AND VOLATILE COMPOUNDS OF FLAT BREAD W. OBUCHOWSKI a , A. MAKOWSKA a , S. MILDNER-SZKUDLARZ a *, A. SZWENGIEL a , M. MAJCHER a and M. REMISZEWSKI b a Institute of Food Technology of Plant Origin, Poznan University of Life Sciences, ul. Wojska Polskiego 28, 60-637 Poznan. Poland a Institute of Agricultural and Food Biotechnology, Rakowiecka 36 Warsaw. Poland (Received: 7 April 2014; accepted: 8 July 2014) The objective of the study was to determine the effect of grain preparation technology, extrusion cooking conditions, and triticale cultivars on physico-chemical properties of crisp bread. Triticale cultivars used in the experiments differed in protein content, starch content, amylolytic activity, and viscosimetric properties. The type of the twin- screw extruder used has an effect on starch degradation, phenolic contents, and antioxidant activity of the product, but a greater effect on those characteristics is found for grain scouring prior to extrusion. All factors had an effect on volatile compound amounts in crisp bread, but the direction and range of these changes were random in character. Results of this study show that triticale grain can be useful raw material for the production of flat bread. Keywords: triticale, grain scouring, extrusion-cooking, phenolic compounds, volatile compounds Poland is a main producer of triticale grain in the world with its production of about 4.2 million ton in 2012, but that crop continues to be used as forage, not as food component. Recent advances in breeding of this crop have made triticale grain a valuable source of food for healthy human nutrition (MARCINIAK et al., 2008). Triticale compared to wheat cultivars contains twice more phytic acid (PLAAMI, 1997) and it is also a rich source of phenolics (PCs) and dietary fibres (DF). More than 90% of the phenolic acids in triticale cultivars are found in the form of ferulic acid (HOSSEINIAN & MAZZA, 2009). The total dietary fibre content (TDF) and soluble dietary fibre (SDF) in triticale varieties grain are similar to in wheat and lower than in rye (RAKHA, 2011). The most outer tissues are rich in insoluble dietary fibre (IDF). From the nutritional point of view, not only the TDF content but the ratio of SDF to IDF fractions is very important. The recommended proportion of IDF/SDF is 4:1 to 3:1 (GÓRECKA et al., 2011). In triticale grain the ratio is about 6:1 (RAKHA, 2011). Removal of the most outer layer of grain improves that ratio (OBUCHOWSKI et al., 2011). Triticale flour is not a favoured raw material for loaf bread production, but it can be valuable material for the production of extruded goods. Grain scouring and extrusion cooking conditions have great effects on quality attributes of extruded goods. However, there is a limited body of information indicating which extrusion conditions, especially the type of the twin-screw extruder (co-rotating vs. counter-rotating), provide greater conversion of the raw material basic components as well as how far and in what direction they are changed. * To whom correspondence should be addressed. Phone: +4861 848 72 72; fax: +4861 848 73 14; e-mail: mildners@up.poznan.pl