Physicochemical properties and structure of buckwheat flour modified by steam-treatment

The natural buckwheat flour exhibits poor processing behaviour due to its conservative structure and the lack of gluten protein, thereby limiting its use in the food industry. The replacement of chemical modification with sustainable, environmentally friendly steam treatment is, currently, technically feasible and promising for most chemical modification methods. The data showed that the steam-treated buckwheat flour degree of gelatinization increased to 99.3 g/100 g, and water absorption increased to 3.93 g/100 g. Also, particle size of the samples in the trial group was significantly larger compared to the control group. Scanning electron microscopy and infrared tests showed that not only did the steam treatment disrupt the granular structure of the buckwheat flour, but its proximity crystalline ordering structure Importantly, rheological behaviour tests showed that the steam-treated buckwheat gel exhibited a better viscoelasticity. Consequently, steam-treated pre-gelatinized buckwheat flour readily forms a tight network structure and provided important information for potential processing applications.