CEREAL PROPERTIES

Name: T.L.V.Peiris

Index No: GS/MSc/Food/3630/08

University : University of Sri Jayawardenapura

5.0 Cereal Properties

Title: Cereal Properties

Date: 02.01.2010

Experiment No :05

5.1 Introduction:

Cereal products are amongst the most important staple foods of mankind. Nutrients
provided by bread consumption in industrial countries meet close to 50% of the daily
requirement of carbohydrates, one third of the proteins and 50–60% of vitamin B.
Moreover, cereal products are also a source of minerals and trace elements. The major
cereals are wheat, rye, rice, barley, millet and oats. Wheat and rye have a special role
since only they are suitable for bread-making.

5.2 Materials

100ml beakers 6
Plastic bowls 6
Wooden spoons 6
Cutting boards 2
Dough mix 1
Muslin cloths 3
Thermometers 2
Meter ruler 1
Weighing balance 1
Oven 1
Binocular microscope 1
Sterio microscope 1
Gelation timer 1
Spatulas 3
Slides and coverslips 10
1% Iodine solution 10ml
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Sodium metabisulphite(SMS) 25g
Wheat flour 1kg
Cornstarch 1kg
Rice flour 1kg
Gluten 250g

5.3 Method
5.3.1 Examination of flour/starch
5.3.1.1 Method
 The each starch/flour provided was examined visually and also the textural
aspects were felt by holding the samples in the palm and in between fingers.
 1g of each was mixed with water and observations were recorded.
 A drop placed on the slide covered with a cover slip was observed, both under
stereomicroscope and binocular microscope.
 The same observations were carried out again after placing a drop of iodine on the
starch and observations were sketched.
 1g of starch was placed in a beaker and 10ml of distilled water was added and and
heated by shaking vigorously.
 The changes were observed visually as well as under the microscope.
 Iodine was added to the sample and it was reexamined under the microscope.
 Drop of Methylene blue was added to the heated and unheated samples and
reexamined under the microscope. Observations were recorded.

5.3.1.2 Results
Visual observations and textural feelings of different flour types

Character Flour Wheat Flour Rice Flour Corn Flour

Texture Fine powder Coarse powder Very fine powder

Color Off White White White

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Visual observations and textural feelings of different flour types after mixing with
water

Character Flour Wheat Flour Rice Flour Corn Flour

When mixed with When mixed with When mixed with When mixed with
water water water water

Texture Soluble and sticky Not soluble, not Soluble, watery, not
sticky, can feel fine sticky. very thick
particles when
touched with fingers

Color Off white White suspension White suspension

suspension

Microscopic Wheat Rice Corn

appearance (10 x
40)

A drop of starch
solution under
microscope.

Microscopic Purple color Dark Purple color Purple color

Appearance after Granules. Round Inside the polygonal granules
adding Iodine particles. But
shaped particles.
different in size
because of
absorbing water.
Microscopic Background Background blue Background blue
Appearance after
blue(blue color
adding Methylene

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Blue around the particle)

Wheat Rice Corn

After heated with Gelatinized at 80 Gelatinized at 80 Viscous, gelatinized

water -appearance
Celsius highly Celsius viscous, cloudy gel
viscous translucent

Heated microscopic Cloudy Burst granules Burst granules

appearance

Microscopic Some granules Blue Color Burst Blue color swollen

appearance after blue, some granules with light and burst granules
adding Iodine (after granules white blue back ground with light blue back
boiling) with light blue ground
back ground.
Granules were
swollen

5.3.1.3 Discussion

Shapes of starch granules vary from plant to plant. By observing the shapes of starch
granules it is possible to identify the source from which the starch derives. This is
important in quality aspect since from this it is possible to check whether adulterations
had occurred.

Starch is composed of two molecules namely amylose and amylopectine. Amylose is

unbranched and amylopectine is branched. The unbranched part arrange like a helix and
traps I2 molecules and forms polyiodide comlex. Which give the characteristic blue-black
colur when iodine added. This is used as an indicator due to above reason.

The amylopectin, or branched portion of starch, forms much shorter helices and iodine
molecules are unable to assemble, leading the color to be of an orange/yellow hue.

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Methylene blue has acted as an indicator. Outer covering of the starch granule can be
observed clearly with methylene blue.

5.3.2 Seperation of wet gluten

5.3.2.1 Method

 25g of wheat flour was weighted in to 100 ml beaker.

 15 ml of water was added in to dough and kneaded.

 Dough was kept in a beaker filled with water and it was allowed in to stand for
1hr.

 After 1hr.dough was removed and it was placed in a muslin cloth it was washed
with gentle stream of tap water till the water passing through the cloth does not
turn blue with a drop of Iodine added to it.

 Residues in the cloth were transferred by the spatula to watch glass and weight of
wet gluten was measured. It was allowed to dry in an oven and final weight was
taken.

 Above procedure was followed for the other flours also.

 Gluten percent by mass was calculated on the dry basis.

 3.8g of wet gluten was taken and it was stretched by hand. Length was measured.
Another 3.8g was taken and SMS was added to it. Extensibility was measured
before and after the addition of SMS.

 Extensibility of gluten was compared with gluten that was provided.

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  Same experiment on extensibility was proceeded different known weight ratios of
gluten and oil or fat.

 The extendability of different flours were examined when mixed with different
amounts of oil or fat.

5.3.2.2 Results

Sample Weight/g

Weight of initial sample 25.007

Weight of wet gluten 9.5486g

Weight of dish 13.0253

Weight of dried gluten + dish 21.4480

Sample Length/cm

Length of extension of wet gluten 14

Length of extension of wet gluten with 10-12

SMS

Length of extension of 3.6g of wet gluten 22

with 1 g of oil

Length of extension of 3.6g of wet gluten 39

with 2 g of oil

Length of extension of provided gluten 10

5.3.2.3 Calculation

Percentage of wet gluten = 9.5486 X 100

25.007

= 38.18 %

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Percentage of dry gluten = 8.4227 X 100

25

=33.6908%

5.3.2.4 Discussion

According to the result around 1/3 of total weight of wheat flour composed of gluten.
According to the results extensibility of gluten reduce with the SMS. s-s double bonds in
gluten in wheat flour is weakens and dough is loosening.

5.3.3 Gelatinization of starch

5.3.3.1 Method

 1g of wheat flour was placed in a beaker.

 20 ml of water was added in to the beaker .And it was heated gradually with a
thermometer immersed on a starch suspension.

 A drop of suspension was picked up in every 50 C in temperature placed on a slide

and smeared.

 It was stained with Iodine and examined under the microscope.

 Number of starch grains that has taken up the Iodine and total number of starch
grains were counted.

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  It was repeated up to 1000C.

 A graph was plotted –temperature versus the number of grains that has taken up
the stain and ruptured.

5.3.3.1 Results

Temperature Number of Microscopy

C0 stained of burst
grains granules

30 74 0

35 62 0

40 52 0

45 46 3

50 40 6

55 30 9

60 20 12

65 16 17

70 15 18

75 14 20

80 20 30

85 10 40

90 5 45

95 0 50

When starch suspension was heated, water was absorbed by the starch granule and caused
the swelling and bursting of the granules. Increasing of viscosity took place as a result of
above process.

5.3.3.2 graph
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 A graph of temperature versus

80

70

60
5.3.3.3 Discussion

After addition of water a viscoelastic cohesive dough can be kneaded only from wheat
flour. The resulting gluten, which can be isolated as a residue after washing out the dough
with water, removing starch and other ingredients, is responsible for plasticity and dough
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No. of stained grains

stability. Gluten consists of 90% protein; 8% lipids and 2% carbohydrates. The latter are
primarily the water-insoluble pentosans , which are able to bind and hold a significant
amount of water, while the lipids form a lipoprotein complex with certain gluten proteins.
In addition, enzymes such as proteinases and lipoxygenase are detectable in freshly
isolated gluten .The gluten proteins, in association with lipids, are responsible for the
cohesive and viscoelastic flow properties of dough. Such rheological properties give the
dough gas-holding capacity during leavening and provide a porous, spongy product with
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an elastic crumb after baking. Rye and other cereals cannot form gluten. The baking
quality of rye is due to pentosans and to some proteins which swell after acidification and
contribute to gas-holding properties.
Starch gelatinization is a process that breaks down the intermolecular bonds of starch
molecules in the presence of water and heat, allowing the hydrogen bonding sites (the
hydroxyl hydrogen and oxygen) to engage more water. Penetration of water increases
randomness in the general structure and decreases the number and size of crystalline
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regions. Crystalline regions do not allow water entry. Heat causes such regions to be
diffused, so that the chains begin to separate into an amorphous form. This process is
used in cooking to make roux sauce, pastry, custard or popcorn.
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Gelatinization is also known as the thickening of a liquid. The starch grains/flour
granules absorb the liquid. When heated the grains/granules swell and then burst,
releasing starch into the liquid. The granules/grains swell to 5 times their original size.
when a starch suspension is heated, the water penetrates through the outer layers of the
granules as the starch granules absorb the water. This consequence to swell the starch
gradually.

Reference

Food Chemistry 4th revised and extended ed. by H.-D. Belitz · W. Grosch · P. Schieberle

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