Optimisation of flours for chapatti preparation using a mixture design

A mixture design was evaluated for the preparation of composite chapatti flours from two wheat cultivars, Mercia and Galahad, as single cultivars did not yield flours suitable for chapatti production. Physicochemical and rheological tests were applied to determine flour quality. Dough development time (Peak time) and dough stability increased and tolerance index decreased with increasing level of Mercia in the composite flour. Instron and sensory tests were applied to evaluate changes in softness of chapattis at different intervals of storage. Maximum response in texture softness was found with 500 g kg(-1) Mercia in the composite flour. Dough prepared from this composite flour showed low stickiness, moderate sheeting resistance and moderate subsequent shrinkage, making it of suitable sheeting quality for chapatti production. It yielded chapatti of soft texture whose scoop formation capability did not change significantly during storage. (c) 2006 Society of Chemical Industry