Component Interactions in the Extrusion Cooking Process: Influence of Process Conditions on the Functional Viscosity of the Wheat Flour System

Wheat starch, vital gluten and wheat flour solubles were processed in combination, in a single screw extruder. The paste viscosity profile and degree of cook of the starch component were used to assess interactive effects. The composite of all 3 components, simulating a wheat flour, was more cooked and gave thicker pastes than wheat flour itself when processed under the same extrusion conditions. The data suggest that the integral structure of wheat flour particles imparts a greater resistance to water penetration and cooking than when the individual components exist at random in a composite formulation.