Miller Magazine Issue: 155 November 2022

73 COVER STORY MILLER / NOVEMBER 2022 ity after delivery is to put it through a small-scale baking trial. Unfortunately, routine baking trials can become time-consum- ing and costly for many bakeries. Even after the baking trial, the baker may have the final prod- uct’s result but lacks clear information on how or why the prod- uct result occurred. This leads to subjectivity and frustration; typically, the miller is the first to blame if products are out of specification. Many millers have begun using dough characterization tech- nologies – such as the CHOPIN Technologies Mixolab 2 – to analyze the rheological behavior of dough subjected to dual mixing and temperature constraint. These instruments include a recording kneader to measure the torque produced by the dough between two mixing blades, allowing for the analysis of the following: Dough rheological characteristics (hydration capacity, de- velopment time, stability, etc.) Protein weakening due to mixing and temperature Enzymatic activity Starch gelatinization and retrogradation, which relates to product shelf life How Dough Characterization Technologies can Create a Stronger Line of Communication with Customers Dough characterization technologies are a great way to pro- vide a proactive service to baking customers. Because import- ant dough properties, like mixing behavior, protein weakening, and others, can be quantified, millers can develop a database of flour specifications for specific customers. This effort takes the guesswork out of evaluating flour quality and improves communication between millers and bakers. Improve Your Flour Quality Analysis Lab to Improve Customer Relations A miller’s reputation depends on their ability to deliver flour to their customers within specifications for quality. Using Alve- ograph tests as a benchmark for quality and flour performance is excellent. Still, it is only one piece of the puzzle in a more comprehensive evaluation process. Expanding capabilities in a flour evaluation protocol helps to close the loop on any quality control unknowns. Not only can these technologies provide a fast return on in- vestment, but it helps to build trust between millers and bakers by reducing mistakes and improving product quality for all. Figure 5: Dough characterization technologies compre- hensively simulate the baking process using only a tiny flour sample. In a 45-minute analysis period, this example protocol covers the following: 1. Mixing Behavior: At constant temperature, the start of the test determines the water absorption capacity of the flours and measures the characteristics of dough during mixing (stability, development time, water absorption). 2. Protein Weakening: When dough temperature increas- es, consistency decreases. The intensity of this decrease depends on protein quality and resistance to temperature. 3. Starch Gelatinization: From a specific temperature, the phenomena linked to starch gelatinization become domi- nant, increasing consistency. The intensity of this increase depends on the quality of the starch and the amylase ac- tivity. 4. Amylasic Activity: The value of consistency at the end of the temperature plateau depends considerably on endoge- nous or added amylasic activity; the more significant the de- crease in consistency, the greater the amylasic activity. 5. Starch Retrogradation: As the product cools, its starch retrogrades while its consistency increases. This phenom- enon relates to the shelf life of the product (high retrogra- dation --> short shelf-life)