Methodology for preparation and testing of chapattis produced from different classes of Canadian wheat

Abstract

Methodology for the preparation and evaluation of chapattis has been refined and utilized in the evaluation of flours milled to an extraction yield of 85% from Canadian wheat classes. Chapatti doughs were prepared utilizing water absorption and mixing times derived from 500 B.U. farinograph data as guidelines. Raw chapattis of 1 mm thickness, cooked for 40 s at 225 °C on one side and 70 s on the other, followed by puffing in a 275 °C oven yielded optimum performance. Chapatti textural attributes (pliability, tearing force, peak puncturing force and total puncturing force) were evaluated and used to comparatively evaluate the seven major classes of wheat grown in western Canada. HunterLab L∗, a∗ and b∗ values were useful for evaluating the colour of both raw and baked chapattis. Evaluations by a sensory panel indicated that all classes of Canadian wheat except durum wheat produced chapattis that were good to excellent. Chapatti quality of durum wheat was rated as fair which may indicate that the unique character of this class requires a special ranking system. Some correlations were found between sensory and instrumental attributes of chapatti quality but a much larger data set will be required to unequivocally clarify relationships.