Gluten free non fermented dough for the production of "empanadas" a typical Argentinean food

G. LORENZO; N. ZARITZKY; A. CALIFANO

Modernization of traditional food processes and products (Vol. 11 ISEKI Series)

Springer Pub.

Año: 2014;

Gluten is a proteinaceous material that can be separated from flour when the starch and other minor components of the flour are removed by washing out under running water. It is the structure-forming complex in wheat, responsible for the viscoelastic properties needed to produce good quality baked products. In recent years, gluten-free bakery products have an increase demand because of the improvement in celiac disease diagnosis (CD). Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder caused by intolerance to gluten, which is found in wheat and similar proteins in barley, rye and oats. ?Empanadas? is a traditional meal in Latin America, quite similar to Cornish pasties. Empanadas are baked or fried before eaten. The non-fermented dough used for empanadas normally includes wheat flour, fat and water; they are home-made or industrially prepared and sold refrigerated. They are highly consumed in Latin America, but unsuitable for celiac people. Production of gluten-free pastries involves an important research to find an adequate combination of the key components to produce a dough with a good elasticity, resistance to puncture, and stretching. Development of gluten-free bakery products involves the application of hydrocolloids to produce a high quality gluten-free food considering the important fact that they must replace the gluten matrix network. The key issues in gluten-free ?empanadas? or pie crusts production are related to the lack of gluten in the matrix to provide elasticity, resistance to puncture and stretching of the dough. Low quality of the gluten-free products currently in the market has led to research in order to improve their poor structure, mouthfeel, and flavor. The present chapter summarizes the optimization process of a gluten-free dough suitable for empanadas and pie crust productions. The first part examine the effects of the addition of gums, whey protein concentrate, dry egg, and water to corn and cassava starches on the rheological properties of the non-fermented dough. Then the type hydrocolloids and lipid phase used was evaluated and the textural attributes of the gluten free dough during storage were examined.