Chinese steamed bread and novel wheat products

Wheat is one of the most important agricultural crops globally, and the third-largest food crop after rice and maize in China; in particular, wheat is one of the primary provisions in human diets in Northern China. Research on the quality of wheat flour is important for wheat food production. Steam bread was one of staple foods in the northern part of China due to the combination of unique cultures and dietary habits. The Chinese steamed bread-making process is a complex system. There is significant value in research on the aroma characteristics of wheat flour, fermented dough, and steamed bread. The solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) GC-MS was used to investigate the compounds of volatile aroma in gelatinized-flour. Volatile compounds of steamed bread vary depending on the content of gluten in wheat flour. In the three physical stages of making Chinese steamed bread, the quantity of hydrocarbons and aldehydes first decreased and then increased. Chinese steamed bread made from wheat flour with added 3% of stachyose, has the greatest elasticity and extensibility, and has the highest scores when conducted for sensory evaluation, thus making nutrient fortified steamed bread. Along with the developing and applying of the modern food process technology, wheat also can be made for novel wheat products with different flavors, such as wheat bran, wheat germ flour, wheat germ oil and “popwheat”, and further caramel treats. In addition, volatile compounds of wheat bran and germ differ between high gluten, middle gluten and low gluten flour. Therefore, the research on the processing quality of wheat dough has been a hot topic.