Influence of wheat varieties, mixing time and water content on the rheological properties of semolina doughs

In the present study, the rheological properties of doughs obtained from semolina produced by milling different wheat varieties of durum grains (Cappelli and Alemanno) were investigated. The dough was prepared by mixing the semolina with water in a mixograph. Rheological frequency sweep measurements were carried out by considering different mixing times and water amounts. The experimental data were analyzed by means of the weak gel model, whose parameters may be directly related to the force and the extension of the gluten network, that is developing during the mixing operation. It was found that the doughs obtained from the different wheat varieties showed a not trivial rheological behavior with the mixing time, that depends on the wheat variety. It was also found that the network force and extension appear to be negatively correlated to the water content, and doughs with higher water content present lower viscosities. The weak gel parameters were modelled as a function of mixing time using an exponential law which demonstrates to adequately describe and quantify the influence of kneading time and water content on the rheological properties of dough.