Rates of shrinkage and growth of air bubbles entrained in wheat flour dough.

Abstract

The rates of shrinkage at constant temperature, and growth under a temperature rise below 100°C, of bubbles entrained in wheat flour dough were analyzed and compared with those of a bubble in water. The rate of shrinkage of bubbles in flour dough was controlled by the diffusion of dissolved air from the surface of bubbles to the bulk of flour dough. The apparent diffusion coefficient of the dissolved air in wheat flour dough with the water fraction of 0.49 calculated from the shrinkage of bubbles, was (3.2 ± 1.5) × 101−1 m2/sec (19°C), and (6.4 ± 2.0) × 10−11 m2/sec (42°C). However, the growth behavior of bubbles in flour dough under a temperature rise was very different from that predicted from the diffusion theory. The critical radius of bubbles to grow was larger than that estimated from the diffusion theory. The mechanism of growth of bubbles in wheat flour dough, which was different from that of a bubble in water, is a subject that needs to be clarified.