A new standard water absorption criteria based on solvent retention capacity (SRC) to determine dough mixing properties, viscoelasticity, and bread-making quality

•Water absorption criteria for Mixograph, Alveograph and bread-making was developed.•These new criteria improve the assessment of dough mixing and viscoelastic parameters.•The criteria are based on flour solvent retention capacity (SRC) data.•A SRC scale-down method was also developed and validated.

Water is necessary for the development of gluten viscoelastic properties and plays an important role in all types of chemical reactions that occur during mixing and baking. Therefore, understanding the nature of all chemical constituents and paying attention to their effects in determining water absorption is crucial for reliable evaluation of the flour bread-making properties and its bread-making performance. In this study, a new standard water absorption criteria (UNIFABS) for Mixograph, Alveograph and bread-making was developed based on the solvent retention capacity of four different solvents: water, lactic acid, sodium carbonate and sucrose. The UNIFABS was developed in order to have a common water absorption criteria for the three methods that satisfies the water absorption capacity as influenced concomitantly by proteins and polysaccharides. The UNIFABS improves the assessment of dough mixing and viscoelastic parameters, and the value of both, Mixograph and Alveograph, in predicting and selecting for bread-making quality in breeding programs.