Relationships of flour solvent retention capacity, secondary structure and rheological properties with the cookie making characteristics of wheat cultivars Amritpal Kaur, Narpinder Singh ⇑ , Seeratpreet Kaur, Arvind Kumar Ahlawat, Anju Mahendru Singh Department of Food Science and Technology, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar 143005, India Division of Genetics, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India article info Article history: Received 6 December 2013 Received in revised form 25 January 2014 Accepted 20 February 2014 Available online 15 March 2014 Keywords: Flour Dough Solvent retention capacity Mixograph Cookie Rheology abstract The relationships of grain, flour solvent retention capacity (SRC) and dough rheological properties with the cookie making properties of wheat cultivars were evaluated. Cultivars with higher proportion of intermolecular-b-sheets + antiparallel b sheets and lower a-helix had greater gluten strength. The grain weight and diameter positively correlated with the proportion of fine particles and the cookie spread fac- tor (SF) and negatively to the grain hardness (GH) and Na 2 CO 3 SRC. The SF was higher in the flour with a higher amount of fine particle and with a lower Na 2 CO 3 SRC and dough stability (DS). The breaking strength (BS) of cookies was positively correlated to lactic acid (LA) SRC, DS, peak time, sedimentation value (SV), G 0 and G 00 . Na 2 CO 3 SRC and GH were strongly correlated. The gluten performance index showed a strong positive correlation with SV, DS, G 0 and G 00 . The water absorption had a significant posi- tive correlation with sucrose SRC and LASRC. Cultivars with higher GH produced higher amount of coarse particles in flours that had higher Na 2 CO 3 SRC and lower cookie SF. Ó 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Indian wheat cultivars differ significantly in their composition and functionality compared to European and Western wheat culti- vars because of differences in their genetic make, environmental conditions and duration of crop (Singh & Singh, 2010; Singh, Singh, & MacRitchie, 2011). Flours milled from Indian wheat cultivars had protein content ranging between 8.5% and 12.02% (Kaur et al., 2013). The majority of Indian wheat cultivars that are commer- cially grown have hard texture endosperm with grain hardness in- dex ranging from 66 to 90, and have a medium protein content and weak gluten strength (Kaur et al., 2013). These wheat cultivars are best suitable for chapatti making, which is the staple food of Noth- ern Indians. In an earlier study, a detailed analysis of polymeric proteins in Indian wheat cultivars revealed a significant variation (Singh et al., 2011). In another study, we have reported the rela- tionship between grain, flour, dough and the gluten properties (Kaur et al., 2013). Most of the wheat produced in India is con- sumed as chapatti followed by biscuits/cookies and other products. The relationship between flour quality and dough rheology measured using farinograph, mixograph, extensograph, and alveograph and baked product (bread, cookies, and cakes) are widely used for the identification of varieties suitable for a partic- ular product. The specific balance between gliadin and glutenin defines the quality of the flour and affects the viscosity and elastic- ity or strength of the dough (Khatkar, Bell, & Schofield, 1995). Empirical rheological measurements are commonly used for evaluating the gluten quality and baking functionality of flours (Singh & Singh, 2013). Farinograph and mixograph are used most often for evaluating the hard wheat for their suitability for bread making. Among dough rheology methods, the farinograph and mixograph are typically used to obtain information on a flour’s water-absorption behaviour and gluten strength of flours (Shogren, 1990; Shuey, 1984). Dynamic oscillatory measurements involving small deformation is a fundamental approach and is being preferred for evaluating the wheat flour quality (Singh & Singh, 2013). The dynamic modulli measured by dynamic rheometer were correlated to the rheological properties measured by empiri- cal methods such as the farinograph (Singh & Singh, 2013). The rheological properties of the dough are greatly influenced by water absorption, damaged starch, gluten elasticity and salt (Ren, Walker, & Faubion, 2008). Flours suitable for cookie making generally requires low water absorption, minimal gluten strength, and low damaged starch and arabinoxylans (Kweon, Slade, & Levine, 2011). Damaged starch generated during flour milling and http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.02.096 0308-8146/Ó 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. ⇑ Corresponding author. Fax: +91 183 2258820. E-mail address: narpinders@yahoo.com (N. Singh). Food Chemistry 158 (2014) 48–55 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Food Chemistry journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/foodchem