Effects of Acorn Flour Addition on Baking Characteristics of Wheat Flour

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of incorporating acorn flour (at levels ranging from 5% to 50%) on the baking properties of wheat flour (type 750). The assessment focused on key baking parameters, including fermentation properties, pasting behavior, and dough rheological characteristics such as farinographic and extensographic properties. A laboratory baking test was conducted to compare the technological properties of wheat and wheat-acorn breads, assessing dough and bread yields, oven and total losses, bread volume, and crumb hardness. Additionally, the nutritional value of selected bread variants was established. The results indicated that flour mixtures with acorn flour exhibited a significantly reduced capacity to retain gases produced during fermentation (by up to 92%) and increased resistance to gelatinization, as evidenced by lower gel viscosity (by up to 14%) and higher endpoint temperatures during pasting (by 2-4%). The inclusion of acorn flour in wheat dough notably affected its rheological properties, particularly by reducing dough extensibility (by up to 56%). However, farinographic parameters such as dough development time and stability time were extended (by 23-378% and 29-291%, respectively). High levels of acorn flour addition (>30%) resulted in bread with a dense, gummy, and less spongy crumb structure, accompanied by a reduction in loaf volume (by 40-52%). The maximal acceptable addition of acorn flour (30%) resulted in a two-fold increase in ash and fiber contents, along with decreases in carbohydrate and protein contents by 12% and 27%, respectively. These findings emphasize the need for careful formulation adjustments when incorporating acorn flour into wheat-based baked goods to balance technological efficiency and improved nutritional value.