Substitution of wheat starch with non-wheat starches and cross-linked waxy barley starch affects sensory properties and staling of Arabic bread

Substitution of starch from barley, corn, oat, potato, rice or sorghum for prime wheat starch in the formulation of Arabic bread resulted in breads with significantly (P < 0.05) different textural attributes from regular wheat bread except for barley starch. Substitution of waxy barley starch (957 g kg(-1) amylopectin) for wheat starch (279 g kg(-1) amylopectin) resulted in bread that was not significantly different from regular wheat bread when assessed in the fresh state. However, upon aging, the waxy barley starch-containing bread staled at a significantly (P < 0.05) faster rate than regular wheat bread. Breads made with waxy barley starch cross-linked with 50, 200 or 500 ppm phosphorus oxychloride showed higher enthalpy of melting (Delta H) upon aging and staled faster than the bread formulated with waxy barley starch. These findings suggest that amylopectin retrogradation is one of the determinants of Arabic bread staling and that cross-linking promotes recrystallisation of amylopectin, possibly by keeping the polymer chains in close proximity. The rate of staling in breads formulated with cross-linked waxy barley starch decreased with increasing levels of cross-linking, possibly owing to restrictions in the degree of starch swelling. (C) 1999 Society of Chemical Industry.