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Solvent Retention Capacity
Solvent Retention Capacity
Solvent Retention Capacity
The SRC test examines the water absorption and retention profile of gluten proteins, damaged starch and
pentosans by using four different types of solvents: water, sucrose, sodium carbonate and lactic acid.
It offers bakery and mill scientists and laboratory technicians the possibility to:
Describe the flour’s ability to absorb water during the mixing process and its ability to release that
water during the baking process
Analyze the level of starch damage in flours
Establish a flour quality profile for predicting functionality and specification conformance
Origin
The SRC profiling test was originally developed by doctors Harry Levine and Louise Slade while working
at the Nabisco Company in the late 1980s for the quality assessment of cookie and cracker flours.
Although SRC testing was originally created and developed for evaluating soft wheat flour functionality, it
is now being increasingly applied to evaluate hard wheat products as well. 2
SRC technology is a unique diagnosis tool for predicting flour functionality, and its applications in wheat
breeding, milling, and baking are increasing as a result of its extraordinary flexibility and broad scope.
Such measurement is based on proteins and polysaccharides capacity to bind water, imbibe and retain it
within a matrix or gel and undergo polymeric glass–rubber transition (hydration process). 3
The following table present the water holding capacity of the main functional components of wheat flour: 1,4
Pentosans* 10–15
SRC values highly correlate with rheological or physical dough tests such as extensograph, alveograph,
farinograph. Generally, flours from hard wheat exhibit good bread making characteristics; their dough
have higher water absorption require more time to mix to reach full development, have more baking
strength, and higher SRC values.
On the other hand, soft flours for cookies and crackers production generally require low water absorption,
minimal gluten strength, and low damaged starch to obtain excellent spread. These characteristics are
also vital to minimize energy consumption for water removal during baking. 5
White Pan
Native starch (63– Bread
72)* Buns and
Damaged starch (5– Rolls
12)** Hearth
Hard Expected to
Protein (11–15) breads
Wheat be higher
Arabinoxylans Specialty
(pentosans) (2–3) Breads
Water (13–14) Variety
Breads
References
1. Carlos Guzmán, et al. “A new standard water absorption criteria based on solvent retention
capacity (SRC) to determine dough mixing properties, viscoelasticity, and bread-making quality.”
Journal of Cereal Science, 66 (2015): 59–65.
2. Lynn C. Haynes, Arthur D. Bettge, and Louise Slade. “Soft Wheat and Flour Products Methods
Review: Solvent Retention Capacity Equation Correction.” AACC International Report, 174 / July-
August 2009, Vol. 54, No. 4.
3. Damodaran, S. “Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins” Fennema’s Food Chemistry, 5th edition,
CRC Press (Taylor & Francis Group, LLC), 2017, pp. 284–292.
4. Finnie, S., and Atwell, W.A. “Composition of Commercial Flour” Wheat Flour, 2nd edition, AACC
International, Inc., 2016, pp. 31–41.
5. Meera Kweon, Louise Slade, and Harry Levine. “Principles and Value in Predicting Flour
Functionality in Different Wheat-Based Food Processes and in Wheat Breeding—A Review.”
Journal of Cereal Chemistry. 88 (6): 537–552.
6. AACC International. Approved Methods of Analysis, 11th Ed. Method 56-11.01. Solvent Retention
Capacity Profile. Approved November 3, 1999. AACC International, St. Paul, MN, U.S.A.
7. Carson, G.R., and Edwards, N.M. “Criteria of Wheat and Flour quality” Wheat Chemistry and
Technology, 4th edition, AACC International, Inc., 2009, pp. 97–100.