Effects of particle size in wasted bread flour properties

Abstract

Bread is wasted at different stages in the food value chain, mainly in industry and retail markets. Wastedbread can be milled into flour to be used in the elaboration of other food products. Milling can generateflours with different particle sizes that influence their properties. This study analysed the effect of particlesize (200, 500 and 1000lm) on the hydration, pasting and gel properties of flours elaborated with fourdifferent stale breads. Bread flours show a higher cold water absorption capacity and a lower oil absorp-tion capacity than wheat flour. No differences in water absorption properties after heating were observed.The viscosity curves of bread flours presented lower values than wheat flour curves, and the gels obtainedwere weaker. Bread flour properties were not influenced by different particle sizes. Therefore, a lessaggressive milling, with a lower energy cost, can generates flours with properties similar to finer flours.