Effect of bleaching and fermentation on the physico-chemical, pasting properties and bread baking performance of various gluten free flour

Abstract

Gluten-free flours have poor bread-making abilities and therefore research is constantly developing strategies to improve them. The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of fermentation and bleaching on the technological and bread-baking performance of various gluten-free flour. For this purpose, white corn, Yagoua rice, plantain, taro, and sweet potato were collected from farmers in the West and Far North region of Cameroon and divide into three batches. One batch was fermented for 24 h at room temperature in excess water. Another one was bleached at 90 °C for 4 min and the last part was left unprocessed. The samples thus constituted were milled into flour (Ø = 200 μm). Subsequently, the physicochemical composition, pasting properties of the flours, and sensory analysis of the formulated loaves of bread was evaluated. The results reveal that fermentation significantly increases moisture content for most of the matrices. Furthermore, both bleaching and fermentation lower protein and ash contents for almost all the studied matrices. Apart from plantain flour, peak viscosity significantly increases after treatment. The breakdown viscosity significantly increases for most of the samples apart from taro flour where these treatments lead to a significant decrease in this parameter. Bleaching improves crust crumbness and bread firmness while fermentation improves crumb quality. Fermentation and bleaching improve the sensory characteristics and the overall acceptability of gluten-free bread. These treatments are therefore be recommended for gluten-free flour production.