Cereal Chem 66:59-64   |  VIEW ARTICLE

Using the Wheat Research Institute Chomper to Assess Crumb Flexibility of Staling Bread.

D. W. Baruch and T. D. Atkins. Copyright 1989 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Experiments were performed to assess the performance of the Wheat Research Institute Chomper in evaluating bread staling. The Chomper produces a dynamic stress-strain curve, the chompergram. The peak height of the chompergram appears to indicate the strength of the gluten matrix of crumb. The initial slope of the chompergram provides a measure of crumb flexibility. These two parameters were found to be useful in assessing the staling of bread with respect to storage time, position of the sample in the loaf, and type of dough conditioner used. Chompergram slope increased with storage time, whereas peak height decreased with storage time. A unique finding that peak heights generally mirror chompergram slopes may support theories of water migration between gluten and starch fractions. The mechanical model proposed for the action of the chompergram was supported by the results of this study, in particular by the results obtained for Poisson's ratio.