Science Of Wheat

 

With its starchy endosperm serving as the main form of storage tissue and making up around 80% of the wheat grain, wheat is a good source of complex carbohydrates. Contrary to simple carbohydrates like sugars, complex carbohydrates are better since they offer a more steady source of energy because they produce energy gradually as required with the body's needs.
The wheat flours used in the Indian Subcontinent are mostly Maida (all-purpose flour), which is derived from endosperm, and Flour, which has a little amount of bran.
Wheat seeds are a significant amount of starch, a type of carbohydrate, and a fantastic source of protein for humans.

Composition

A diet rich in these complex sugars reduces health issues, and wheat starch  is a useful source of energy in nutrition. 85% of the wheat grain's weight at maturity is made up of carbohydrates, of which 80% is starch (found only in the starchy endosperm). Wheat lipids make between 5–45% of the endosperm.

 
In average, wheat's protein content can range from 9% to 18% of the grain weight. Common wheat meant for cakes and/or cookies, for instance, should ideally have a protein value of 7–11%, but wheat meant for high-volume loaf bread usually needs a protein content of 12% or more.

Another crucial nutritional component is fibre. The white layers of wheat contain the majority of the nutritional fibre; following wheat milling, the resulting white flour has 2.0–2.5% fibre. Therefore, a serving of 40 g of white wheat bread contains around 1 g of dietary fibre, while one slice of the same amount of whole wheat bread contains 3–4.5 g. A diet rich in fibre has been linked to several health advantages.

Moreover, wheat's amino acid composition shows a greater concentration of glutamine and proline residues while lacking critical amino acids. For instance, glutamine and glutamic acid are engaged in a number of critical biological activities, including the regulation of gene/DNA expression, the body's protein content, the metabolism of nutrients, and antioxidant properties. 

Wheat proteins

Non-Gluten Proteins

There are two types of wheat proteins: gluten proteins and non-gluten proteins. The two types of non-gluten proteins, globulins (soluble in neutral saline solutions) and albumins (soluble in water), mostly serve structural and metabolic purposes with minimal impact on wheat quality. 

Gluten

The gliadin and glutenin together represent up to 85% of the total protein content within wheat endosperm.

The combination of glutenin and gliadin creates gluten, an elastic and stretchy structure that holds air in place to give food a fluffy, light texture. These are the primary sources of gluten found in wheat flour. Breadmaking's basic properties, dough elasticity and extensibility, are mostly dictated by the flour's gliadin and glutenin contents, respectively. The reason maida makes food products chewier is because it forms stronger gluten than whole flour.

Gluten formation has two different activities: In Chapati it is more focused on creating soft yet not overly chewy. In loaf of bread, gluten formation is focused on making a strong structure that is able to handle the expanding gas generated by the yeast in the dough, finally turning it into crisp brown crust at high heat in the oven through Maillard reaction.

Tip: 2:1 by volume for flour: water is not the same as 2:1 ratio by weight because water weighs twice as much as flour for the same volume.

Autolysis: Combining wheat flour and water (not kneading) and letting it sit for 30 min, gluten formation starts in the presence of water.

Tip: Use slightly warm water, not boiling water to increase gluten development as boiling water will cook (gelatinize) the starches in the wheat and will leave less water for gluten development.

Do not add salt upfront as salt tends to tighten the gluten development.

Maillard reaction: Also known as non-enzymatic browning because browning reaction occurs without enzymes.

References: de Sousa, T., Ribeiro, M., Sabença, C., & Igrejas, G. (2021). The 10,000-Year Success Story of Wheat!. Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 10(9), 2124.

Shewry, P. R., & Hey, S. J. (2015). The contribution of wheat to human diet and health. Food and energy security, 4(3), 178–202.

Masala Lab (2021)