Effects of oat β-glucan incorporation on the gelatinization, flowability and moisture sorption of wheat flour

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of oat β-glucan (OβG) incorporation on the gelatinization, flowability and moisture sorption of wheat flour. OβG was incorporated at levels varying from 1 to 5g/100g on wheat flour basis. The blends with OβG incorporation beyond 3g/100g were darker than wheat flour, which caused by the lower lightness (88.6) and white index (85.8) but higher redness (1.16) of OβG versus wheat flour. The blend with 5g/100g OβG was more resistant in gelatinization and retrogradation but more liable to flow than wheat flour indicated by the increased pasting temperature, decreased past viscosity, setback, and angles of repose and slide. In lower water activity (aw) scope (<0.6), OβG powder presented inferior moisture adsorption than wheat flour, while opposite situation happened in higher aw scope (>0.6). The moisture adsorption curves of wheat flour and the blends were highly resembled throughout aw scope of 0.11 to 0.85. To guarantee the product safety during storage at 20°C, the moisture content of wheat flour, OβG and the blends must be <12.6g/100g.