The Effects of Two-Step Tempering Treatment on the Rheological Characteristics of Flour in Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

In flour milling, tempering is the last process applied to the wheat before grinding and it has a unique and vital role in wheat processing technology. In wheat milling, tempering is conventionally done in one step. In this study, two bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties (Adana-99 and Russian) with different hardness degree were subjected two-step tempering process in addition to single-step (classical) tempering process. The potential of two-step tempering treatment a) to improve the wheat and flour qualities and b) on the rheological characteristics of wheat flour was the explored. Each wheat variety was subjected to four different tempering treatments. These were; a. no tempering (control), b. single-step tempering for 24 h, c. single-step tempering for 48 h and d. two-step tempering for 48 h. The tempering treatment resulted in a significant improvement in the rheological properties. This positive effect was more evident in the extensograph measurements compared to farinograph measurements. Two-step tempering treatment significantly increased the resistance, ratio and energy values of the dough. This showed that two-step tempering significantly increased strength, force, resistance, and the ability to retain gas properties of dough, which are the most important quality criteria for bread dough. Tempering treatment for 48 h among single step tempering treatments resulted in improved flour quality. The findings conclude that, water when added to the wheat in the tempering process in two-steps results in an improved flour quality in terms of rheological properties.