Characterisation of different typical Italian breads by means of traditional, spectroscopic and image analyses

In this paper a complete characterisation of four typical durum wheat breads produced in Italy was performed, from the starting semolinas to the final product, also considering the intermediate dough. An evaluation of the quality of durum wheat re-milled semolinas was carried out by means of routine investigations, together with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) analyses, that were also applied to dough ready for baking and bread to monitor the variations that occur during processing. The experimental data obtained from routine and spectroscopic determinations were investigated using multivariate statistical analysis to evaluate the possibility of differentiating flours, doughs and breads according to their geographical origin. Computerised image analysis was applied to quantify the crumb grain features of different bread types, and to try to characterise each bread type through a set of crumb morphological and colour parameters. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.