Investigating the influence of E-beam irradiated sorghum flour on the structure, physicochemical properties, and processing suitability of sorghum/wheat mixed flour-dough-bread: A related mechanism

To improve the processing suitability of sorghum flour for staple food applications of sorghum, this study uses E- beam irradiation (EBI) to pre-treat it to investigate the influence of EBI dose on the structure and properties of the mixed flour-dough-bread. The results showed that EBI enhanced mixed flour solubility by improving the components' structure or functionality of sorghum flour, reducing its swelling power, viscosity, and thermal properties. The fermentation properties of the mixed dough reached optimal at 4 kGy, and were almost identical to those of wheat dough. In addition, the microstructure of the mixed flour dough was optimized at 4 kGy, and the textural properties of its bread were also improved. Low-dose EBI can improve the processing suitability of sorghum flour and reduce the destruction of the gluten network of mixed doughs by miscellaneous grains, which is a promising application for processing other cereal-based products.