Cereal Chem 63:131-135   |  VIEW ARTICLE
Changes in the Quality Characteristics of Chapati During Storage.

G. Venkateswara Rao, K. Leelavathi, P. Haridas Rao, and S. R. Shurpalekar. Copyright 1986 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

The tearing resistance tester and Warner Bratzler shear press have been adapted successfully to evaluate, objectively, the quality changes in chapati during storage. Tearing strength, indicative of development of brittleness, decreased markedly from 72.5 to 31.0 g and only slightly during three days' storage when chapati was packed in polyethylene pouches and in waxed paper, respectively. Warner Bratzler shear value served as an index of texture and decreased by 21 and 46% for chapaties packed in waxed paper and polyethylene pouches, respectively. A simple pliability tester was devised to measure chapati pliability. When chapaties were packed in waxed paper, pliability decreased from 2.3 to 1.2 cm, but increased from 2.1 to 4.4 cm when packed in polyethylene pouches. Although no significant difference was observed in salt-soluble proteins and ether extractives during storage, starch was found to be affected significantly. This was indicated by decreases in water retention capacity, falling number, enzyme-susceptible starch, and soluble starch. Furthermore, both amylose and amylopectin were found to decrease, possibly contributing thereby to staling of chapati. Although heat treatment of chapati packed in a polyethylene pouch delayed mold attack from three to 90 days, the chapati had a somewhat cooked flavor and was brittle, as indicated by the marked decrease in shear value. Addition of salt (1.25%), glycerol monostearate (0.5%), sorbic acid (0.2%), and fat (4%) minimized the development of brittleness to some extent.