FUNCTIONALITY OF SOFT WHEAT FLOUR TREATED BY RADIOFREQUENCY ASSISTED THERMAL PROCESSING

Wheat flours are thermally processed to ensure microbiological safety for use in food products such as cakes, cookies, baby foods, etc. Traditional thermal processing of wheat flour takes a long time because of its poor thermal conductivity. Novel thermal processing methods, such as radiofrequency assisted processing, are poised to replace the traditional methods. However, to ensure the final acceptance and adaptability of novel methods, the performance of RF-processed flours in prepared products such as cookies and noodles is important. The objective of this study is to evaluate the functionality of radiofrequency (RF)-assisted thermally processed soft wheat flour (SWF) in the end products, namely sugarsnap cookies. Sugar-snap cookies were prepared from RF-processed, unpasteurized, and commercially processed SWFs following a standard method. The qualities of the prepared cookies, such as width, thickness, etc., were evaluated and compared. The width of the sugar-snap cookies of the RF-assisted thermal process conditions of 80(degrees)C for 7 h and 90(degrees)C for 2 h was not significantly (P > 0.05) different from that of the unpasteurized SWF. The cookie thickness for all the RF-assisted thermally processed conditions was significantly higher than that of the unpasteurized condition. However, the color, hardness, and fracturability values of sugar-snap cookies were not significantly different at all the RF-assisted thermal processing conditions when compared with those of the unpasteurized condition. The functionality of the flours in sugar-snap cookies indicates that the selected RF-assisted thermal processing temperatures and time combinations of 80(degrees)C for 7 h and 90(degrees)C for 2 h did not influence the functionality of the SWF significantly. Thus, this study demonstrates the feasibility of novel RF-assisted thermal processing of SWF without compromising the flour's functionality in the end products.