Effect of inulin with different degree of polymerization on water redistribution of steamed bread

The aim of this work was to study the influences of three types of inulin with different degree of polymerization on the water state of steamed bread during production and storage. The addition of inulin reduced the moisture content of the dough and facilitated the migration of free water to bound water. In the fermentation process, inulin had little impact on the bound water content in the dough, but could speed up the fermentation process. During the storage time, the freezable water content in steamed bread crumb decreased faster in the presence of inulin. The weaker interaction of freezable water with starch and protein chains became stronger, while the stronger interaction of tightly bound water with starch and protein chains decreased compared to the control. The changes of melting and vaporization enthalpies suggested that inulin could accelerate water migration of steamed bread from the inside to the outside. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.