Assessing the effects of flour particle size distribution to improve dough rheological properties and whole wheat rusks characteristics: A case study on industrial pilot plant

Rusks represent one of the most widely consumed baked goods for breakfast. Nevertheless, the use of whole wheat flour generates significant rheological problems and worsen bread and bakery products characteristics, thus motivating this work. This paper addresses the gap understanding the effects of bran, middlings, and germ addition, with different particle sizes, on flour composition, dough rheological properties, and whole-wheat rusks characteristics. Consequently, the aim of this work was to assess the effects of particle size distribution, testing three different flour mixes, on flour composition, dough rheology, and whole-wheat rusks characteristics, in an industrial pilot-scale plant. Results showed statistically significant differences, in terms of flour composition, dough rheological properties, and whole wheat rusks characteristics among the three tested mix. Mix 2 showed statistically significant differences; it was able to improve flour nutritional value, highlighting a higher insoluble (11.74) and total (13.79) fiber content, enhance dough rheology, considering the higher dough stability (11.97 min) and dough development time (8.03 min), and, finally, ameliorate the whole wheat rusks characteristics, in view of a higher crispness and friability of the product. In conclusion, based on the obtained results, mix 2 formulation could be adopted to optimize the production of whole wheat rusks.