Improving roller milling technology using the break, sizing, and reduction systems for flour differentiation

Abstract

A key issue in breadmaking is to select the optimal milling strategy, as this has a significant impact on the quality of flour. Therefore, this work assesses if flour recovered from: (i) the break system, and (ii) the sizing and reduction system of the roller mill differ from control flour. Differences in flour yield, flour composition, dough rheology, and bread characteristics for an ancient cultivar (Conte Marzotto) and a modern cultivar (Nogal) were evaluated. For break system flour, lower fibre and higher starch content were found. Sizing and reduction system flours had higher fibre and phenolic content, and lower starch. Moreover, dough stability was higher for break system flour and, in the case of Nogal, a significant increase in bread specific volume was found. These results highlighted that the proposed strategy can be effective in producing diverse flours for different markets (e.g. consumers and bakers). In particular, break system flours have better rheological performance and improved bread characteristics, while sizing and reduction system flours have a more interesting nutritional profile. Further advantages of the method include its ease of application, no additional expenditure, no lengthening of milling time, increased profits, better product differentiation, and the expansion of the potential clientele.