Quality Indicators of Rice-Based Gluten-Free Bread-Like Products: Relationships Between Dough Rheology and Quality Characteristics

The design of gluten-free bread-like products involves the study of gluten-free dough rheology and the resulting baked product characteristics, but little information has been obtained connecting dough and baked product properties. The aim of this study was to determine quality predictors of gluten-free bread-like products at dough level by defining possible correlations between dough rheological properties and both instrumental parameters and sensory characteristics of those products. Diverse rice-based gluten-free doughs were defined and rheologically characterised at dough level, and the technological and sensorial quality of the resulting baked products was investigated. Dough MixolabA (R) parameters, bread-like quality parameters (moisture content, specific volume, water activity, colour and crumb texture) and chemical composition significantly (P < 0.05) discriminated between the samples tested. In general, the highest correlation coefficients (r > 0.70) were found when quality instrumental parameters of the baked products were correlated with the dough MixolabA (R) parameters, and lower correlation coefficients (r < 0.70) were found when sensory characteristics were correlated with dough rheology or instrumental parameters. Dough consistency during mixing (C1), amplitude and dough consistency after cooling (C5) would be useful predictors of crumb hardness; and C5 would be also a predictor of perceived hardness of gluten-free bread-like products.