Small deformation rheological properties of dough are useful tool to predict the effects of modest sodium reduction on flour tortilla quality

• There is more interest in non-sodium leavening agents for tortillas due to growing demand for low sodium in processed foods.
• Alternatives can change dough rheology that impacts final tortilla quality.
• Large deformation tests cannot detect the effects of modest changes on dough rheology, but small deformation tests can do.
• Small deformation tests can predict the shelf stability of tortillas.

Ingredient substitution can produce modest changes in wheat dough that are not detectable by standard methods, but significantly impact final product quality. This study used dynamic oscillatory frequency sweep tests to evaluate effects of substitution of sodium with potassium and calcium based leavening systems on tortilla dough viscoelastic properties in relation to final product quality. Treatments involved replacing 0, 50 and 100% NaHCO3. Complex modulus (G*) and phase angle (δ) values of dough samples were determined at increasing frequencies (0.01–10 Hz/25 °C) within the linear viscoelastic region (5 Pa/25 °C). Tortillas were processed and evaluated for quality over 16 d of storage. Traditional dough compression force and relaxation time from stress relaxation test did not detect treatment effects (P < 0.05). Significant differences (P < 0.05) in dough G* and δ values were detected above 3.162 Hz and 0.01 Hz, respectively. Final tortilla quality (flexibility, diameter, and color) was significantly affected by treatment. Tortilla flexibility was highly correlated with G* (r = −0.92) and δ (r = −0.80) at 10 Hz. Dynamic oscillatory testing can predict the functional performance of leavening agents for producing tortillas with superior shelf stability.