Effect of HPMC and CMC on rheological behavior at different temperatures of gluten-free bread formulations based on rice and buckwheat flours

This paper reports a study on the effect of cellulose derivative hydrocolloids on the rheological behavior of gluten-free (GF) formulations suitable for bread production. A comprehensive rheological study, based on small amplitude oscillations at different temperatures, was performed with the aim of better understanding the interactions among the components (flours and hydrocolloids). A whole-wheat flour recipe was used as a control. A mixture of rice and buckwheat flour was used in GF products and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) were added to the formulation and used separately at four different percentages (0.1–1.5% on flour basis). The effect of water content on the rheological properties of dough was investigated for samples prepared at 1% of hydrocolloids and it was observed that high water levels lead to doughs more similar to the benchmark. The potential results, in bread production, were investigated, in a preliminary way for few formulations, through the qualitative analysis of bread samples obtained by lab scale baking tests.