Effect of incorporating plant and animal-derived protein sources into whole wheat flour on its physical, rheological, nutritional, and chapati-making attributes

To explore the potential of incorporating commercial protein sources as functional ingredients in traditional Indian chapati, a study was conducted to assess the effects of supplementing whole wheat flour with these proteins. The blends were evaluated for their physicochemical properties, rheological behavior, and chapati-making performance. Whole egg powder and egg albumin powder exhibited higher redness values of 5.48 and 5.23, respectively, and yellowness values of 23.33 and 27.47, respectively. As the protein source levels increased from 0 to 20%, the blends showed a corresponding increase in protein and ash content, with the highest protein content of 27.34% observed in the blend with 20% soy protein isolate. The addition of soy protein led to increased farinograph water absorption, while whey and egg protein sources exhibited a decreasing trend in water absorption. Overall, dough stability declined as the level of protein supplementation increased. Sensory evaluations of the chapatis revealed that a 10% supplementation level was acceptable for soy and whey protein sources. For egg protein sources, a 5% supplementation level was preferred, as higher levels resulted in a significant drop in sensory scores due to an undesirable foreign taste in the chapati.